Burkina Faso Coup: Lessons for Africa

While Burkina Faso threw tackles with Gabon on Sunday in Cameroon at the ongoing AFCON competition, the country was engulfed in a military coup. Although, reports have it that the coup failed, the whereabouts of the Burkinabe president, Roch Mark Kabore, however remains unknown. He’s believed to be currently in a military detention.

The recent coup d’etat in Burkina Faso calls to question the role of the military in African politics. In the last 10 years, more than 10 African countries have experienced military coups or counter-coups. In some places like Mali, the political establishment has become almost an appendage to the military institution. In Egypt, the military is so powerful that its budget cannot be verified nor questioned by the country’s parliament. In fact, the most senior army general eventually took over power few years ago from an elected president.

There are convincing reasons to believe that the abysmal performance of African politicians is at the root cause of the endless military interventions in politics. However, judging by the performances of the military in leadership positions in the last 50 years, it has become eminently clear that they are not a viable alternative. Thus, anyone supporting the intervention of the army in politics is doing so out of crass ignorance.

As a self-correcting system, democracy is the only viable option to growth and development within the African continent. Most African countries have tried the military option and have come to realize that it’s not only incompetent in public policy administration but equally as corrupt as its civilian counterparts. In this regard, no sane person should pray for the return of the military, either in Nigeria or any part of Africa. As a professionally trained security institution, the military should be concerned with securing the African continent, not to rule her!