African Union condemns recent wave of military coups

Addis Ababa, Feb 6 (EFE).- The African Union on Sunday condemned the recent “wave” of military coups that has resulted in the unprecedented number of member states suspended from the bloc.

“Every African leader in the assembly has condemned unequivocally… the wave of unconstitutional changes of government,” head of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, Bankole Adeoye, told a press conference as the union’s annual summit drew to a close.

Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso have been suspended from the bloc after military coups.

The most recent was in Burkina Faso, where the army ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kabore last month.

“At no time in the history of the African Union have we had four countries in one calendar year, in 12 months, been suspended,” he added.

Since August 2020, there have been five coup d’etats in the bloc as well as one failed coup in Guinea-Bissau last week.

Bankole said that an “intrinsic link” between governance and weak security systems had been noticed in countries, which have experienced military coups, and that this could be the cause.

The AU summit in Addis Ababa which took place this weekend was the first face-to-face summit since the Covid-19 pandemic. EFE

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