Coups only make crises worse - UN chief

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said coups only make crises worse, emphasising the need for durable government and the rule of law.

Guterres said this on Thursday while highlighting the succession of military coups unfolding across Africa at a press encounter at UN Headquarters in New York.

Wednesday’s military takeover in Gabon came on the heels of the July coups in Niger, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Chad, Guinea, Sudan, and Mali in the years prior to that.

Overall, all recent coups except Myanmar's in 2021 have taken place on African soil.

The announcement of the takeover in Gabon came shortly after election results were announced, saying incumbent president Ali Bongo had been re-elected amid reports of irregularities at the polls.

“Many countries face deep-seated governance challenges. But military governments are not the solution.

“They aggravate problems. They cannot resolve a crisis; they can only make it worse,” Guterres said.

The UN chief called on all countries to urgently establish credible democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Guterres highlighted the need to strengthen international bodies such as the African Union in their diplomatic efforts to foster peace, stability, and democracy on the continent.

At the same time, conditions need to be created that allow African citizens to address the root causes of political instability, with lack of development being a major factor.

“Development is a central objective if we want to create conditions for peace and stability in Africa,” the secretary-general said in response to a question from a journalist.

Supreme News reports that Africa has experienced seven coups since August 2020, including the one on Wednesday in Gabon.

Others are Niger, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Chad.