U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was “deeply concerned by the number of coups in West Africa’s Sahel region and the impact they are having.”
The West African region is facing what experts fear is a democratic backsliding due to an increase in military takeovers of constitutionally elected governments.
In 2023 alone, there have been at least four successful coups (in Niger, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso) and numerous attempted overthrows, raising concerns about regional instability.
Just last week, Sierra Leone’s government announced that a series of attacks on military barracks and prisons were an attempted coup, resulting in the arrest of 13 military officers and one civilian.
“This incident was an attempted coup. Its aim was to illegally overthrow and overthrow a democratically elected government,” Information Minister Černá Bá said at a press conference.
In a speech at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center ahead of the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Accra, Ghana, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke of Commenting on the security situation, as a net exporter of peace, he said: Ghana has played an important role in stabilizing the region.
Additionally, the country’s leaders have raised African perspectives and concerns at the UN Security Council, sent thousands of troops to UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, and advocated for peaceful transitions of power, freedom of the press, and It added that it had worked tirelessly to ensure a strong democratic process. Be a role model for others.
“However, some leaders of other countries took the opposite stance. They chose to turn their backs on the international system and consolidate their power at the expense of the rights, freedoms, and prosperity of their own people. It is by isolating itself and its peoples from regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union and global institutions such as the United Nations, and instead relying on actors like the Wagner Group to resolve conflicts, exploitation and destruction for profit. But this is a dangerous decision and a short-sighted decision,” she said.
Citing the example of Mali, where the transitional government elected Mr. Wagner and expelled a U.N. peacekeeping mission that included Ghanaian soldiers, U.S. diplomats say peace deals are collapsing and empowering violent extremist groups. expressed concern that it was creating instability. It threatens all of West Africa.
Ambassador Greenfield said: “This decision does not make Mali safer.” After Wagner was invited to Mali in 2021, more people were invited to Mali in 2022 than in any other year since the conflict began in 2012. of civilians have been killed. And 2023 is likely to see even more deaths. It is clear that this approach simply does not work.”
Citizens who value economic growth and opportunity say, “They’re not doing this for free. They’re building the country’s economy, creating jobs, and ensuring that leaders stay in power longer than necessary.” “We are receiving millions of dollars a month from these countries that should be used to help people.”
Ambassador Greenfield acknowledged that violent extremist activity has the potential to derail stable democracies in West Africa, and reiterated Vice President Kamala Harris’ commitment to capacity-building and support during a visit to the country earlier this year. Announced plans to strengthen support programs aimed at providing funding.Approximately $100 million will be spent to help counter extremism and strengthen human rights in Ghana and other African countries
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