When the citizens begin to lose trust in the system, the system is as good as dead – Security analyst

A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, has raised alarm over the increasing rate of coups in Africa and the erosion of trust in governmental and democratic systems.

The comment by the analyst came as the continent grapples with yet another political coup d’état in Gabon.

In the early hours of Wednesday, August 30, 2023, some mutinous soldiers seized power and forced the President, Ali Bongo Ondimba into house arrest.

The incident is the latest in a series of political disruptions that have occurred on the continent.

According to Emmanuel Kotin, the recurrence of coups on the African continent is a result of a growing sense of disappointment among citizens and a loss of trust in the existing political systems.

“And you see when the citizens begin to lose trust in the system, the system is as good as dead and that is how I see ECOWAS now. ECOWAS is a shadow of itself. The youth now are becoming so aware of what is happening around, and they feel that most these African leaders have offers from the West,” he said.

The Analyst continued to attribute the recurring coups to a growing sense of disillusionment among citizens and a loss of trust in the existing political systems.

“Let’s just look at these statistics briefly, look at Cote d’Ivoire when Laurent Gbagbo allegedly lost power and didn’t want to go. The French came with full force and took him out. Alassane Ouattara when he came, was he not entering his third term? So, how can we choose and pick? Togo has a similar situation. Look at what is happening in Sierra Leone. ECOWAS is still dancing to the tune of the West. They are not trying to look for the solution inward,” he noted.

To him, the role of external influences, particularly from Western powers, in African political landscapes has contributed to the growing trend of coups.

Emmanuel Kotin suggested that the youth in Africa are becoming increasingly aware of the complex relationships between African leaders and Western nations.

“If I were ECOWAS, I would have sourced for consensus building among the citizenry and make a U-turn. It is not everything you can use the bourgeoisie’s way to get things resolved. Look at the worth of Africa, look at the natural resources we have on the continent, why should Africans be poor?

“Why should the Africans go through the Mediterranean just to get to Europe and these our leaders are enclothe with privileges and involved in property acquisition and these kinds of things, the west is happy and sit back and watch. As far as their interest is served,” he added.

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