Prof Kwesi Aning is the Director of Academic Affairs and Research at the KAIPTC
Professor Kwesi Aning, the Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), has said that rife corruption paves the way for coups to take place.
He revealed that coups happen long before the military takes their arsenal to seize power and take over from the ruling government.
Addressing the coup that took place in Niger, while speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3, on Monday, July 31, 2023, Prof. Aning admonished members of ECOWAS to revise their protocols to ensure that the coup is dealt with properly.
He also urged them to work at totally uprooting these negative political actions from the West African Sub-region.
“With ECOWAS in particular, in 1993, member states revised the treaty and Article 58 of the revised protocol from 1993 enjoins member states to see ECOWAS as a superior national institution, meaning that when we sign on to ECOWAS document, those documents must be domesticated amongst member states or among the signatory states.
“We also have protocols relating to corruption, to how elections must be held. All this body of literature then comes together to form an ECOWAS regime with principles, values, norms decision processes as to how member states must behave.
“That behaviour, particularly when it comes to constitutional process and coup-making, is very clear. Coup-making starts long before the military takes their guns and decides to seize power. Coup-making begins when corruption becomes so rampant that the delivery of public services is undermined. Coup-making is about telling stories and lies to the populace to win power, coup making is about constitutional changes that allow governments to stay in power over and beyond the stipulated period. So what we see in West Africa is much more widespread, more nuanced development,” 3news quoted.
Prof. Aning’s remarks come on the back of Niger’s coup leaders being warned by ECOWAS to return to the normal government system or face possible military intervention after the coup leaders officially announced it on national television.
The soldiers dissolved the country’s constitution, suspend all institutions, and closed its borders to prevent intrusion.
President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum had been held by the troops from the presidential guard early Wednesday, July 26, 2023, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken promising his “unwavering support.”
Mali and Burkina Faso have recently suffered coups that were triggered by Jihadist unrest in recent years.
Military leaders of both countries are not on good terms with France, the former colonial power which formerly ruled the countries.
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