Mauritania Coup in the Context of African Politics

By

The African Union (AU) and a number of foreigngovernments -Western industrialized countries have been quick to condemn the recent military coup and overthrow of the Taya regime in Mauritania. The AU has gone on to suspend Mauritania's membership. Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria has also embarked on publicity circus to condemn the military coup, and mindlessly recites the statement: the "days of military coup are over in Africa".

A fundamental question that needs to be asked is this: who is in a better position to determine the destiny of Mauritania, than Mauritanians themselves? A number of important facts need to be borne in mind before anyone could assess whether the action of the coup plotters is justifiable.

First, Taya, himself overthrew a regime through military coup, in order to come to power. Remember the saying: those who live by the sword die by the sword! Secondly, from all indications, the Taya regime was not popular among Mauritanians. His regime was very popular though, with multinational oil firms and their parent country governments, because, his regime made the Mauritanian oil and gas resources available to these foreign interests at the expense of the average Mauritanians.

Thirdly, what use is the AU, and its membership to Mauritanians, and indeed, an average African? If the AU was worth anything, why did the tragedies in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi/Rwanda, Sudan (Darfur), Somalia, Congo and elsewhere in Africa, that claimed millions of African lives, happen? Where was the AU, and how effectively did it act? As for a few foreign countries that have condemned the coup: what have you done for Mauritanians lately? When did it become your responsibility to dictate who is fit, or not fit to govern an African country? To the coup plotters I say: only you and your fellow country men and women are in the best position to determine the destiny of your dear country. Do not give a damn about AU -it does not serve any useful purpose to your country. Your regime would not miss a darn thing from losing AU membership. For all practical intents and purposes, AU is a useless organization.

As for foreign governments that have condemned your action: do not pay them any attention -their support for the Taya regime is only to the extent their firms have access to cheap oil and gas, and other investments (sources of raw materials in your country), it is not because they give a flying fig about an African (Mauritanian). Your country would not lose much from their disaffection. Moreover, these governments need the resources from your country -so, they usually, come around quickly to normalize relations with the new regime. If you should matter to Mauritanians and indeed, Africans, why did the UN Security Council you have powers over, not act to prevent the tragedy in Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and several other tragedies in Africa? How about Dar fur -why have you not acted? Do you know how many of us have died in these tragedies, and what did you do to prevent them, or to address the after-mat? As for Olsen Obasanjo's rant, I say: look who is talking? He knows why he is worried. Obeisant has served in regimes that came to power through military coup. His presidency is not anything worthy of mention -look at Nigeria under his two tenures: public safety, corruption, and leadership ineffectiveness! To the international community, I say: like you, Africans have a right to self-determination, and to determine, how and who governs them. There may be situations where military coup may be a necessary tool to effect political change -in situations, where the judiciary and legislature are inept and/or incompetent to ensure that the executive branch governs within the bounds of the constitution. There are countless instances of that in Africa, from such populous governments as Nigeria and Egypt to the little known Eritrea and Equatorial. The notion of military coup being absolutely an unacceptable means of political change in Africa is a farce that only serves the interests of African puppet regimes and foreign firms and governments that prop them up. Such an arrangement does not serve the best interest of African.

If I were one of the inept, incompetent and corrupt African regimes, I would be worried, because, you can only suppress and misgovern your people only so long before the plight of Taya and other infamous African leaders befalls you. Obasanjo's and other African leaders' reactions and utterances are borne out of self interest -they are worried about the durability of their own political careers, considering their records over the past years.

A parting word to the coup plotters: do not lose the trust of Mauritanians, because, if you do, you may meet the same fate you have meted out to Taya. Address the most pressing needs of your country men and women, first and foremost.

To Mauritanians, I say: if the coup plotters have your national best interest in mind, support them in their effort to build a new government and cast a new direction for your dear country. Do not connive with any dubious interests and agents to undermine this new regime. You are lucky, and I wish, other African Africans, who have suffered the inept and incompetent leadership as you did under Taya, were as fortunate to have a group of brave soldiers to rescue their countries.
Bravo Mauritania, bravo!! Sincerely, Okechukwu Nwaru California, USA