Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

Burkina Faso's interim president captain Traoré's take over through fiat has raised questions about the role of militaries in democracies in Africa as either enablers or gatekeepers of democracy. I interrogate how both domestic and foreign factors converged to enable the Burkina coup and lessons

Paper long abstract:

When captain Ibrahim Traoré deposed Burkina Faso’s interim president and fellow military man Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, he was quick to indicate that he was there to serve the interests of the republic and would quickly pave way for resumption to civilian rule by 2024. The youthful captain Ibrahim Traoré was shortly sworn in as interim president, carrying with him aspirations of the majority youthful population of Burkina Faso, who have more recently amplified anti-French sentiments in the west African country. Traore’s coming to power through fiat does not only resonate with democratic decline witnessed globally, but also raises questions about democracy in Africa, and whether it is inclusive and represents the majority. While the military in democracies are expected to remain in the barracks, the increasing popularity of military coups especially in West Africa raises questions of whether militaries can be enablers of democracy or simply gatekeepers. The seemingly increasing influence and preference for Russia in Burkina Faso and generally west Africa is also interrogated, to situate the role of France as a former colonizer to the evolving democracy in Burkina Faso and West Africa region. It concludes that the domestic challenges in Burkina Faso, and the inability of political elites to address them are fodder for military coups. While blaming France may be a scapegoat, deteriorating France’s popularity signals her failure to consolidate democracy, and justifies Russia’s/China’s entry and supposed preferences as symbols of alternative models.

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

Professionally, military intervention in civil rule is an aberration. The military is saddled with the responsibility of securing the state's territorial boundary. The deepening crisis of governance in the continent drives military intervention and subsequent acceptance by civil society.

Paper long abstract:

The recent resurgence of military rule in Africa is a signal of the worsening crisis of governance that has engendered forced migration. Rather than serving the continent as guardian of territorial boundaries, the African military, given previous experiences, has redefined its role as guardian of democracy and civil rule. This paper seeks to review the governance environments that gave rise to Africa's second phase of military rule. Using elite and structural-functional theories, the paper argues that the military as a part of the elite group in society is poised to fill the vacuum of good governance through the reformed style of civil governance. The redefinition of democratic governance through the forceful interjection of civilian derailment has gradually become a new justification for military intervention. While military interventions in recent times were orchestrated by the failure of civil rule and the accompanying crisis of governance, the acceptance of the putschists by citizens is evidence of an acceptance role of the military as an alternative gatekeeper and the guardian of the interest of the state and democratic objective of good governance. The fact that sanctions and threats of external interventions through forceful invasion could not reverse the change of government showed the wider endorsement, by citizens, of military rule as a choice for stability and good governance. The paper concludes that while military intervention is unwelcome in the continent, failing civilian administration is equally an anathema. Inclusive good governance and effective public participation will restore public confidence in civilian leadership.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

Militaries in Africa are products of colonial states, designed and implemented for the promotion of Western interests. This paper seeks to reveal how the persistence of the military in African politics from the immediate post-independent Africa till date, is highly upheld by colonial ingredients.

Paper long abstract:

The military has played an indisputable part in the history of “nation-state” building. These “nation-state”-building militaries are however different in their conception and raison d’être, from “state-nation”-building militaries, which characterize most of Africa. To be precise, African militaries are products, not of the indigenous African realities and needs, but of colonial masters who designed and implemented a colonial culture that shaped the modus operandi of the African military for the promotion of Western interests. This paper seeks to demonstrate how the persistence of the military in African politics from the immediate post-independent Africa till date, is highly upheld by colonial ingredients that accompanied state importation in Africa. In comparing the cases of Gabon and Burkina Faso, how do we understand on the one hand, the resurgence of a coup in Gabon in 2023 after decades of civilian rule that was supposed to promote democratization and deter military takeovers and on the other hand, the inability persistence coups in Burkina Faso to put an end to civilian authoritarian rule and eradicate corruption as most coup leaders overtly claim? We defend here that, the ignored colonial ingredients that characterize “state-nations” of Africa meaningfully contribute in this complex back-and-forth military and civilian rule in the quest for democratization. This is a qualitative research where relevant literature will be exploited, and interpreted by theories related to coups d’états, authoritarianism/democratization, nation and state building.

Keywords: colonial culture/ingredients, military coup, democratization

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

Scholars have been concerned about the causes of recent military interventions in West African States. This paper contributes to this body of work by exploring how a leader's popularity in the rural areas of a country can be an effective tool to prevent military takeovers.

Paper long abstract:

Military interventions persist in Africa. While many studies on coup risk typically explore military organization or associated structural conditions, my approach takes a unique perspective. Traditionally, regimes seek to maintain power by appeasing urban consumers. Contrary to this, I argue that this focus on urban consumers actually heightens the risk of military intervention. Substantial popularity in rural areas serves as coup proof, thereby making a coup less likely to succeed. Using Afrobarometer data from Round 7, covering 34 African countries, I demonstrate a significant correlation between a regime's popularity in rural areas and decreased approval for military coups.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses the militarization of police forces in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, situating Goita’s 2022 decision to re-militarize Mali’s police. I argue that across regime types, the militarization of security forces represents a mode of security governance principally aimed at regime survival.

Paper long abstract:

In October 2022, Assimi Goita’s military junta returned Mali’s police to a militarized statute, which had been a civilian force since 1991. While the junta argued that the main purpose was to employ police more effectively in the fight against jihadists alongside army and gendarmerie, Mali’s police unions interpreted the decision as a strategy to curtail their influence, marking a further shrinking of Mali’s civic space. In this paper, I compare Mali’s case to that of its neighbor Côte d’Ivoire, where the police has been a military-civilian hybrid force since the 1970s, equally eliminating the police union. I show that in both cases, the militarization has only marginal effects on the police’s mode of delivering security while allowing effective top-down governance of the institution. Although Côte d’Ivoire’s government largely adheres to democratic principles while Mali’s military junta displays clear authoritarian tendencies, I argue that the militarization of civilian security forces must in both cases be understood as a mode of militarized security governance that principally aims at regime survival. This highlights the appeal of militarization across different regime types in West Africa. The findings presented in this paper are based on primary data gathered through field work and remote interviews in Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. The discussion will be rooted in a historical analysis of civil-military relations in both countries’ post-colonial statebuilding processes.

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

This Paper explores the implications of interrogating the military coup in Niger Republic on the national security of ECOWAS member states. it would delve into the regional consequences, potential challenges, and the role of ECOWAS in addressing the coup's impact on the stability of her members.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the implications of the military coup in the Niger Republic for the national security of ECOWAS Member States. It argues that the military coup has not only undermined the constitutional principles of democracy but has also increased instability and insecurity in the region. The paper begins with an overview of the political situation in Niger before the coup and an analysis of the context in which it occurred. It outlines the impact of the coup on Niger Republic's political dynamics, outlining the positions of various actors and the implications for ECOWAS member states.

The 2023 military coup in the Niger Republic has called into question the commitment of ECOWAS Member States to democracy and constitutionalism and raised concerns about stability in the region. These include strengthening political, economic, and security cooperation in the region; strengthening the capacity of the Niger Republic military to protect democracy and the rule of law. In addition, the paper proposes that ECOWAs Member States should continue to support the transitional government in Niger to ensure a successful return to democracy and the rule of law. This paper provides an analysis of the implications of the military coup in the Niger Republic for the national security of ECOWAS member States and makes policy recommendations for ECOWAS Member States to protect their national security and contribute to regional stability. It argues that the military coup has weakened democracy and the rule of law in the region and has posed to regional security and stability.

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

We explore the revival of military regimes in Africa, based on the failures of the democratisation process that began in 1990. We also question the failure of international military intervention in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel and its link with the resurgence of military coups.

Paper long abstract:

Our presentation at the VAD 2024 international conference aims to provide an in-depth analysis of recent political developments in French-speaking Africa, particularly the resurgence of military regimes through coups d'état in countries such as Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon. The presentation aims to provide analytical keys to understanding the resurgence of coups d'état between 2022 and 2023 in these African countries.

Firstly, the rigorous examination of the failure of the post-democratic transition electoral systems of the 1990s will be central to the analysis. Despite the regular holding of elections, the absence of a fair and inclusive political order persists, raising questions about the effectiveness of these electoral systems. The presentation will seek to identify the structural deficiencies of electoral systems in Francophone Africa in the face of the chimerical promise of democratic prosperity that was hoped for with the wave of political transitions in the 1990s.

Secondly, the presentation will analyze the failure of international military intervention in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The humiliation felt by military officers in the face of these mixed results played a significant role in their inclination to regain political control through coups d'état. The presentation will analyze in detail the security challenges that have led to the persistence of terrorism in the Sahel and the political stakes of military and humanitarian interventions between international actors, local security forces, and terrorist groups, thus offering a nuanced key to understanding the advent of military regimes in the face of the persistence of the terrorist threat.

Thirdly, the presentation will look at a comparative analysis between the growing phenomenon of military regimes and the 'colonial regimes' that prevailed in the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting historical parallels with previous decades. Through a comparative analysis, the presentation will question the underlying similarities of this 'return' to military regimes and assess the potential risks for regional stability. Documentary data and analytical models will help to shed light on these comparative aspects of contemporary African politics and the lessons to be learned from them.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The resurgence of military coups in the context of rising risks and securitization requires the call for mother analytical frameworks to understand the return of military coups in the context of an expanding counter-terrorism fight in the Sahel.

Paper long abstract:

The increasing insecurity continues to reshape the Sahelian political and security dynamics. The upsurge in violence and the failure of international and regional security responses to contain insecurity in the Sahel countries have aborted the pre-eminence of the military paradigm in the region. Moreover, the resurgence of military coups in the context of rising risks and securitization requires the call for new analytical concepts to understand the return of military coups in the context of an expanding counter-terrorism fight. Some theorists in security studies point out that securitization flourishes in a risk society. Drawing on the concept of risk by Ulrich Beck, I explain in this article how risk has triumphed in the context of the proliferation of armed actors and the rise of asymmetric conflict in the Sahel. This condition has accelerated the rise of risk management practices in the region. Thus, the governance of insecurity requires a permanent adjustment of risk management in the context of evolving counter-terrorism. In this context, the resurgence of military coups between 2020 and 2023 is an expression of the urgent need to govern insecurity within a risk framework.

Keywords: Sahel, securitization, risk, counter-terrorism