A Coup-built West African Empire of Seven Countries?
Whose Empire?
With one exception, the seven coloured countries on the map above (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Guinea and Niger, have the following in common:
· They have been subjected to recent military coups d’état.
· Each coup has been, or is intended soon to be, made legal by elections.
The exception is Senegal, where the eminence grise, President Abdoulaye Wade, 84 years old or more, has been President for ten years. He is the effective inheritor of the neo-colonialism of Léopold Sédar Senghor, but revised by Wade to conform with the neoliberal “Washington Consensus”.
In Burkina Faso, in 1987, Blaise Compaoré led a coup d’état against his comrade-in-arms, President Thomas Sankara, “Africa’s Che Guevara”. In 1991, Compaoré staged an election and was declared the legal President.
In 1991 Amadou Toumani Touré made a coup d’état in Mali. In 2002 the same Amadou Toumani Touré was elected President.
In Togo, in 2005, the dying President’s son Faure Gnassingbé was installed by a military coup. Elections in 2005 and in 2007 sanctified him in office.
On 23 December 2008, Moussa Dadis Camara seized control of Guinea as the head of a junta. On 3 December 2009, Camara was shot, and subsequently taken to Burkina Faso. In 2010, elections made 72-year-old Alpha Condé, associated with this and with a previous coup, President.
In Mauritania in 2009, there was a coup d’état led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, converted by elections in 2010 so that Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is now President.
A military coup in Niger in February, 2010 put a “Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy” in power led by Salou Djibo as President. A Presidential election has been announced for 31 January, while more than 2000 individuals associated with the deposed regime are being accused before the courts.
Côte d'Ivoire
In Côte d'Ivoire in 2002 a coup was attempted against the legitimate President, Laurent Gbagbo, leaving the northern part of the country, adjacent to Burkina Faso, under the control of a rebel army called “Forces Nouvelles”. This army, assembled by Blaise Compaoré, supporting Alassane Ouattara, was never disbanded, although this was a condition for the holding of fresh elections in which Ouattara would be a candidate for President. In the areas where it is present, nearly all the votes were counted for Ouattara.
And there is more…
The above leaves plenty out of account. Other countries in West Africa have neo-colonial regimes sponsored by Washington, or Paris, or both. But what is recorded here should suffice to alert people to certain problems.
All of the coup regimes that were subsequently sanctified by elections are now neo-colonial, and all are accommodated and supported by Abdoulaye Wade and Blaise Compaoré.
There is no coincidence here. The methodology is clear and consistent: Coup d’état is followed by election that delivers the desired result, the sanctification of the coupe and the subordination of another African country to the interests of the “West”. This is as simple a procedure as gang robbery being followed by money-laundering of the proceeds.
Where it is going, is something to think about. What if “AFRICOM” moves in, supported by all these stooge governments? AFRICOM will claim that it has democratic support! Then it can make war in any direction from this vast base territory.
Defend Côte d'Ivoire!
Côte d'Ivoire is not yet defeated and may well be able to stand up to this process and say “They shall not pass!”
This is because Côte d'Ivoire has a mass popular patriotic movement, leadership in depth, a determined President.
Another factor in favour of Côte d'Ivoire is international anti-Imperialist solidarity.
That’s you and me.
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