Special forces in Guinea led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya took into custody the country’s 83-year-old dictator, Alpha Conde, who has been in power for slightly more than a decade after manipulating the system and violating the constitution to add himself a third term. He illegally participated in the 2020 October election where he garnered 59.5% of the vote, arguing that he was legally allowed to contest under the newly amended Constitution that changed a presidential term from five years to six years. The limit of two terms was retained.
That a man who fought for democracy in the opposition for so long would mutate into a despicable despot is surprising even after the people of Guinea rewarded him with the presidency, and allowing him to take the honour of being the first democratically elected president of Guinea. It is also worth noting that the change of the presidential term was the only backward amendment to the constitution. Other changes were quite progressive, admirable, and beneficial to the people of Guinea. For example, Female Genital Mutilation was declared illegal, and the parliamentary qualifying age was lowered to 18 years. Also, the newly amended law banned underage and forced marriage and enshrined into law the edict that no gender should make more than two-thirds of any government institution.
Under the ever strong and tempting seduction of power and money, President Alpha Conde abandoned his transformative agenda and rolled into the slime of corruption, plundering the country’s mineral resources, with a remarkable economic boom that never trickled down to the people, most of whom remain poor. The country’s roads remain poor, education has never improved with the literacy levels at 32%, and internet penetration is stuck at below 20%.
It is this sorry state of affairs that has been used as the basis for the deposition of Conde by the country’s Special Forces, who have quickly moved in to calm the people and promise that there is no one who is out to destroy the country. They have made it clear that their job is to come up with a transition government that will lead to free and fair polls resulting in a government of the people by the people, with a strict mandate to serve the people of Guinea.
At a time in history when opposition leaders in most African countries are not led by any solid convictions, strong checks and balances that can keep corrupt governments under control are missing. Most opposition leaders make noise and blackmail the governments of the day either for handouts, favours, or accommodation. In this scenario, citizens are left to their own devices, often falling back on civil society groups that are equally compromised and weakened.
This is the climate wherein educated and informed soldiers come in. It is utterly immoral for soldiers to pass time in barracks when dictators are mutilating and violating the constitution to accord themselves more time in office to loot and plunder away the resources meant to help the people. The shame in this is that over time, there will be no country left for these soldiers to protect from enemies. More often than not, the enemy is within, and not the terrorists or state actors military colleges pay too much attention to.
But aren’t there institutions to handle issues such as corruption? One might ask.
The answer to this is that in some countries some of these despots have looted so much that they have the resources to buy out almost everyone. Also remember that a good number of the people who head these institutions are appointees of these despots, meaning that they will not initiate and execute legal processes with any seriousness. Indeed there is folly in cutting the hand that feeds you.
Therefore, the well trained, ideologically sound, and patriotic soldier is called upon at such a time to rise up and defend the nation by creating a thoroughly controlled environment where the Constitution-violating despot is peacefully escorted out of office, processed in a court of law with strict oversight of the courts, and a new government instituted that is also warned that its one and only agenda is the business of the people.
The Alpha soldier who so rises and undertakes this solemn duty must guard against being tempted to be part of either the transitional or ultimate government unless there is popular clamour for such a soldier to contest for a position. If this happens, legal procedures must be followed.
The Guinea scenario is encouraging. It is a confirmation that the African soldier has come of age. Born in this century, trained by hunger, floods, droughts, and poor roads, fired up by rampant corruption, the new soldier is not willing to hand over to the next generation, a shell of a country that has been looted to the bone by traitors and dictators who know nothing other than their own comfort and that of their immediate families. The new African soldier is aware that Western governments are quick to prop and protect dictators and thieves in African countries so that they can continue supplying them with gold, bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, and numerous other precious stones that are found throughout this rich yet backward continent. The new African soldier is aware that these hypocritical Westerners who prop dictators in African countries cannot allow such in their own countries. It is part of the long-running racist view of the African that these Westerners have that gives them the audacity to want for us poor quality education, poor roads, poor healthcare, and yes, mediocre puppets for leaders.
The new African soldier is not willing to accept that.
This is a call for African military schools to incorporate the element of state redemption from dictators as part of the solemn duty of a soldier.
The New African Soldier is Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. He showed leadership when his country wanted it. He demonstrated courage when his country called for it. He showed the way when his countrymen needed one. He stood up to be counted when history called.
Onchari Oyieyo
Centre for African Progress (CAP).
All Rights Reserved. 2021.