Military governments are not the solution for Africa, warns UN official
United Nations, Sept 1 (RHC) Many countries in Africa face serious entrenched governance challenges, but military coups are not the solution, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday, following the seizure of power by troops in Gabon.
The UN chief urged countries to act quickly to establish credible democratic institutions amid the "succession of military coups we have seen in recent months on the African continent."
"Military governments are not the solution, they aggravate problems, they cannot solve a crisis they can only make it worse," Guterres remarked in statements to the press from the body's headquarters in New York.
These events confirm the need to strengthen capacities and support African institutions and regional organizations in their efforts to unite their peoples, he added.
At the same time, the necessary conditions must be created to eliminate the root causes of the problem, including the necessary development on the continent, he said.
As solutions, the high representative proposed more participation for Africa, debt relief for the region, a reform of the financial architecture and a change in the planet's economic relations.
"If we have more equity, more fairness in the way the global economy is strengthened, Africans will enjoy better conditions to address the root causes of the many situations of political instability," he said.
Guterres' statements come amid worsening conflicts on the African continent with the establishment of military governments by coup d'état, which experts and media consider a trend in the region.Military forces announced Wednesday the annulment of Gabon's presidential elections, the arrest of re-elected President Ali Bongo Ondimba and the dissolution of the Government, the Senate, the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court in the country.A similar situation was experienced in Niger in July this year, but the list of military coups in the continent since 2020 to date also includes Sudan, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, among others. (Source:PL)
