The coup in Guinea Conakry, as in Mali, happened quickly, literally in one day the military usurped power and declared a transition period. These two countries in the West of Africa, by their now unstable situation, open the way for terrorist formations to the rich countries of the west of the continent. The threat of terrorism has already taken root in Africa, partner countries, as well as an international organization such as the UN, spend large amounts of money and send peacekeeping missions to resolve the situation and eliminate terrorism. However, from the observer's side, it sometimes seems that all this is in vain, as terrorists continue to flourish in Mali, Niger and Mozambique. Is it an ineffective fight or is it financing terrorists from outside?
The situation in Guinea Conakry leaves much to be desired: the country is in an economic and political crisis due to the long retention of power in the hands of one President, Alpha Conde. The latter, in turn, was democratically elected in October last year. However, the results of the elections caused indignation not only in the ranks of the opposition, but also among the population. It was not entirely clear what had precipitated the army's move on Sunday against the 83-year-old Conde. A special forces commander said in a televised address that “poverty and endemic corruption” had driven his troops to act.
The putsch came less than a year after a disputed election in which Conde won a third term after changing the constitution to allow himself to stand again. Alioune Tine, an independent human rights expert for the UN Nations and founder of the AfrikaJom Center think tank, said Conde’s refusal to cede power had made either a popular uprising or a coup inevitable.
“Alpha Conde is one of the politicians who worked over 40 years for democracy in Guinea. Once in power, he totally destroyed it,” Tine told Reuters.
However, we will never know the true motives of Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. But outside interference cannot be ruled out.
A similar situation occurred in Mali a few months earlier. The 2021 Malian coup d'état began on the night of 24 May 2021 when the Malian Army led by Vice President Assimi Goïta captured President Bah N'daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Minister of Defence Souleymane Doucouré. Assimi Goïta, the head of the junta that led the 2020 Malian coup d'état, announced that N'daw and Ouane were stripped of their powers and that new elections would be held in 2022.
Despite the establishment of a new transition period, Mali faces the threat of terrorism from the north every day. Military gangs constantly carry out attacks on civilians, while Western countries are not in a hurry to help the new head of the transition period. France is withdrawing troops from the Sahel (the end of Operation Barkhan), having achieved nothing since 2013. The UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) is absolutely useless, just like all other UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.
However, the Central African Republic could also be one of the first in the list of coups in Africa. It was in the capital Bangui that an attempted coup was organized by militants from armed groups (Coalition des patriotes pour le changement – CPC) during the pre-election period (December 2020). Militants led by former President Francois Bozize and financial assistance from outside tried to overthrow President Touadera. Thanks to the support of reliable partners, such as Rwanda and Russia, the regime did not fall. At the moment, the country is finally getting back on its feet and restoring state power and security throughout the territory.
The Western approach to the fight against terrorism has proved its complete failure. African countries should think about who finances the militants and choose not only a reliable partner, but also strengthen the security sector in the region.