Coup d’état in Mauritania: Is the Military an Impediment to Democracy in the West African Nation?

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has always condemned military coups as a barrier and a fundamental obstacle to democracy. This was manifested when a supplementary protocol was signed in Dakar, Senegal in 2001 by Governments of 14 of the 15 member states. Its ratification by 9 member states made the protocol an active mechanism that puts it into force for the 15 member state organization.

The background of the Protocol stems from violent conflicts in post-independence West Africa as a result of widespread military coup d’états.

In view of the militarization of politics, the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol codified in the strongest possible language prescribing that:

‘-The armed forces must be apolitical and under the command of a legally

Constituted political authority;

- No serving member of the armed forces may seek to run for elective

political office.’

The situation in Mauretania should therefore be an abject matter of concern for all regional and international actors in the West African nation’s political landscape.

Even the constitutional convergence principle under the ECOWAS Protocol of Democracy and good Governance expressed concerned with:

‘1 - The principle of the army’s subordination to the civil, legal government.

2- A depoliticisation and “neutralizing” of the army without harming the

acknowledged civic rights, of members, of the defense and security forces.

3 - Democratic governance for the security sector promoting and

respecting human and personal rights’.

What does the military coup in Mauretania therefore portend? Does the coup contravene ECOWAS protocols? Should actions of the military be condemned? Should the democratically elected government be let to resolve the crisis through constitutional means?

Taking a careful analysis of the political situation in Mauretania, the Military coup should be condemned in all possible ways. Firstly, it contravenes ECOWAS protocols. Secondly, the ousted President leads a democratically elected government which is a “legally constituted political authority.”

The nature of the military coup is a manifestation that the military is still active behind the scenes of political affairs in Mauretania. The President’s change in command responsibility of the armed forces could be contended to be the driving force behind the coup.

It must be noted that under Mauritanian constitution, a democratically elected president can act based on the powers vested on him in appointing senior officers to command positions when he deems it pivotal to national interest and security.

In an already politically volatile region due to threats of extremism and illegal drugs trade, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), the United States (US), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations (UN) must condemn the coup as a blatant contravention of the Mauritanian peoples will. It is therefore imperative that the democratically elected government be let to use constitutional means in bridging the political impasse.

The military remain to be only an impediment to democracy in Mauretania.

Any failure to resolve the crisis through constitutional means may likely put the West African nation on a road-map to both political and economic collapse.

The author is the editorial-editor senegambianews.com. He also publishes The Sword of Truth at http://www.sofawarrior.blog.com. He could be reached at binneh@senegambianews.com or bsm235@nyu.edu.