General News
Toying with democracy, rewriting constitutions, and suppressing dissent are all catalysts for coups – Colonel Aboagye
Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd), a security expert, has investigated the reasons for Africa’s frequent coups.
He argued that African rulers who play with democracy, change constitutions, cement themselves in power, restrict the opposition, and stifle public engagement in popular politics are fueling coups in their nations.
On the GhanaTonight Show on TV3 on Wednesday, August 30, he commented on the Gabonese coup.
“My line of argument has always been that there are triggers for every event in life including coups. So when those triggers and those structural and proximate factors are present in any country then the likelihood of coups.
“It is not a question of whether it is possible but it is a question of when. So all the signs have been there in the case of Gabon as well as some other African countries that are toying with democracy, changing constitutions, entrenching themselves in power, repressing the opposition, and suppressing the public participation of popular participation in politics.”
Army commanders in Gabon have gone on national television to declare that they had taken power.
They proclaimed the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner, null and void.
According to the electoral commission, Mr Bongo received slightly under two-thirds of the vote in an election that the opposition said was rigged.
His demise would end his family’s 53-year reign in Gabon.
Gabon is one of Africa’s biggest oil producers, yet forests cover approximately 90% of the nation.
Twelve soldiers appeared on television early Wednesday morning, declaring that the election results would be annulled and “all the institutions of the republic” would be dissolved.
They also stated that the country’s borders were blocked “until further notice.”
This would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the last three years if verified.
The majority of the others, though, have occurred farther north, in the Sahel area, where an Islamist insurgency has led to growing concerns that democratically elected governments are failing to safeguard civilian populations.
The troops claimed to be from the Committee of Transition and Institutional Restoration and to represent the country’s security and defence forces.
On Gabon 24 TV, one of the soldiers stated, “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
He attributed this to “irresponsible, unpredictable governance,” which has resulted in a “continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos.”
Following the broadcast, the sounds of gunshots could be heard in the country’s capital, Libreville.
A terrible accident occurred at the base of Galenkui Mountain in Ho, claiming the lives of nine people, including babies.
The terrifying occurrence occurred as a 207 Benz was transporting goods and passengers from Abotoase to Sogakofe.
The car encountered brake failure while descending the mountain, culminating in a collision with a Zoomlion garbage truck.
Initial reports verified seven fatalities at the disaster scene, including newborns and children.
Following that, Mary Dzifa, a nurse at Ho Municipal Hospital, informed Citi News that roughly ten children had died in the disaster.
“I was at our facility yesterday, November 22, when a car rushed in with dead and injured children and injured adults, especially men. Some were attended to at the facility, and the rest who were severely injured were taken to the Ho Teaching Hospital. The dead children will be about 10.”
Officials at the Ho Teaching Hospital said that 32 people were admitted for injuries incurred, with 9 dying as a result of their injuries.
Amos Jah, the Public Relations Officer of Ho Teaching Hospital, said that the injured patients are receiving medical attention and making progress in their rehabilitation.
“I received a call from a friend yesterday who was going back to town and that he saw the accident, so I quickly informed the nurses to be on alert. Some were brought in with pickups, ambulance, tricycles; the situation was very bad, some had broken limbs, some heads almost being severed, some were bleeding from all parts of the body. After two hours, we were able to calm the situation down.”
“We had a total of 30 accident victims brought here. Two others were brought from the Municipal Hospital this morning, making it 32 in all. My information is that we lost 9 of them, 4 are kids and 5 are adults. For the kids, three were brought in dead. Those injured are responding to treatment.”
Dr Adam Bonaa, a security expert, has requested the Oti Regional Minister to restrict all public events in Nkwanta in response to the riots that have taken eight lives.
The fights, in his opinion, were avoidable.
“The Regional Minister and his men must make certain that this never happens again.” This was avoidable, yet 8 people died as a result,” he remarked on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Tuesday, November 21.
He further suggested that “It is important to suspend all public activities that are likely to take place by the two factions, this is the surest way of letting them know that there is an authority within Nkwanta and the region.”
The Oti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) will host an emergency security meeting today, Wednesday, November 22, in response to the Nkwanta riots.
Regional Minister Joshua Gmayenaam Makubu, appearing on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Tuesday, November 21, verified the number of dead and described the pandemonium as “ethnic clashes.”
“Tomorrow we are going to have an emergency security meeting again, ” he further said.
He also disclosed that there had been conflicts in town two weeks earlier between members of two tribes, Adele and Akyode.
Following the conflicts, the Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, acted on the advice of the REGSEC and via Executive Instrument to impose a curfew on Nkwanta township.
The curfew will be in force from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 21.
On Tuesday, November 21, an attacker opened fire in the town’s central market area.
Several people have been murdered and others have been injured as a result of the incident.
The Oti Regional Security Council dispatched officers to the region to handle the situation.
“Government wishes to appeal to all to exercise restraint and to use the established mechanisms for the resolution of all their conflicts and disputes.
“Meanwhile, the Government will like to reiterate that, there is a ban on all persons in Nkwanta Township and its environs from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapons and any persons found with any arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted,” the Minister said.
Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has categorically rejected selling his official house to a private developer.
He then stated that his home was “almost sold” to a private developer.
The Speaker of Parliament recently revealed that his Accra home was sold to a private developer while he was still living there.
He said this only came to light when the developer went to the Lands Commission to register the land on Monday at the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum in Accra.
However, the Lands Commission claimed in a statement that “at no time did the Lands Commission sell the said property to a private developer.”
In a recent meeting with civil society organisations, the Speaker emphasised that his official house was on the verge of being turned over to a developer except for the intervention of the Lands Commission.
“I didn’t say my residence was sold. That was not what I said. This was just a comment in passing when I said it was almost sold but luckily, I was in possession. And I said it was when they went to Lands Commission that they realised from the search that it was the residence of the Speaker,” Alban Bagbin clarified.
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