Diplomats Express Disgust over Coup Revival

(PANA)--African diplomats kicked off discussions on the main issues to be discussed during this week’s Summit of African leaders, expressing great disappointment at the resurgence of military coups and natural disasters in the continent.

Tanzanian Ambassador to the African Union (AU), Dr. Mohammed Maundi, told the opening session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) on Monday that man-made conflicts continued to pull back Africa from the path of development and prosperity. ‘Although progress has been made in peace and security, civil unrest caused by natural and man-made factors continued to pull back our efforts to prosperity,’ the Tanzanian diplomat, whose country holds the rotational presidency of the African Union Commission (AUC), told diplomats. African leaders are due in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for discussions on a wide range of issues, touching on the administration of the African Union Commission, the political crisis facing African States and the alternative sources of financing the AUC during their meeting later this week.

Africa witnessed two coups and a failed attempt within a short span of time, drawing quick attention to the little progress made in democratising the continent at a time when political factors appeared to set the pace for a move towards political integration of African countries and a focus to economic prosperity. An attempted coup in Guinea Bissau did not succeed after a strong African Union condemnation but another coup in neighbouring Republic of Guinea succeeded, just like the power grab in Mauritania.

AUC President Jean Ping has been piling pressure on the Mauritanian and the Guinean authorities to urgently push towards a return to full democracy, and the AU Peace and Security Council effectively announced a suspension of the two States after the coup. In an interview, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra said that the suspension of the two countries was meant to serve a strong message to other African countries that the organisation would not accept any unconstitutional changes of government. ‘We are working within the doctrines of the AU. This is unparalleled by any other organisation in the world. We are the only ones with such doctrines that unconstitutional change of government is being considered a threat to democratisation of Africa,’ Ambassador Lamamra told PANA.

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