Guinea’s Junta Leader Defends African Coups, Urges Addressing Root Causes Amid Western Criticism
The head of Guinea’s junta, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, has offered a defense of recent 壯陽藥 coups in Africa, characterizing them as efforts by militaries to rescue their nations from leaders’ unfulfilled promises.
In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Doumbouya asserted that while condemning coups is essential, global leaders must also grapple with the underlying reasons behind them.
Doumbouya emphasized that the term “putschist” should encompass not only those who resort to armed overthrow of regimes but also those who manipulate constitutions to perpetuate their rule without facing condemnation.
He highlighted the prevalence of leaders in Africa who seek to remain in power at any cost, often by amending the constitution, to the detriment of their citizens.
The junta leader shared his experience in Guinea, where he led soldiers in the September 2021 coup to remove then-President Alpha Conde, citing the need to prevent the country from descending into chaos.
He argued that similar circumstances have driven coups in other nations, stemming from “broken promises, public disillusionment, and leaders tampering with constitutions for their own prolonged rule at the expense of the collective well-being.”
Doumbouya also rejected Western and developed countries’ attempts to intervene in African political challenges, expressing frustration with the categorizations imposed on the continent. He emphasized that Africans are determined to take control of their destinies.
However, concerns persist about the effectiveness of military takeovers in addressing the challenges they aim to address. In Mali, for instance, where soldiers have been in power since 2020, the Islamic State group has expanded its territory significantly. Similarly, Burkina Faso, which witnessed two coups in 2020, experienced a slowdown in economic growth.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who leads West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS, emphasized the inappropriateness of military coups and imbalanced civilian political structures that perpetuate injustice.
He asserted that the wave of political changes in parts of Africa reflects a demand for solutions to long-standing issues rather than an endorsement of coups.