MAMADI DOUMBOUYA, President of Guinea, said that his continent was hit by an epidemic of military putsches, particularly in the French-speaking countries south of the Sahara.  “Everyone condemns them, sanctions them and is disturbed by the sudden immergence of this phenomena that we thought was over,” he said.  “To remedy the problem, we must look at the root causes,” he asserted, adding that “the putschist is not only the one who takes up arms to overthrow a regime”.  The real putschists are those who cheat to manipulate the texts of the Constitution in order to stay in power eternally.  Highlighting his efforts to prevent his country from descending into complete chaos, he said “the institutional rectification to which my brothers in arms and I took our responsibilities on 5 September 2021 was only a consequence of that chaotic situation which ended up tearing apart the social fabric of my country”.

The transitions underway in Africa are due to several factors, including broken promises, lethargy of the people and leaders tampering with the Constitution with the aim of remaining in power, he said.  Today, African people are more awake than ever and more determined than ever to take their destiny into their own hands.  Voicing concern over the unequal distribution of wealth which creates endless inequalities, famine and poverty, he said:  “When the wealth of a country is in the hands of an elite while newborns die in hospitals due to lack of incubators, it is not surprising that […] we are seeing transitions to respond to the profound aspirations of the people,” he said.

Noting that Africa is suffering from a governance model that has been imposed on it by the West, he said:  “We are all aware that this democratic model that you have so insidiously and skilfully imposed on us after the La Baule summit in France (…) does not work.”  The various economic and social indices demonstrate this plain and clear, he asserted, adding that “this is not a value judgment on democracy itself”.  This model — “detrimental” to the economy and the local processing of Guinea’s natural resources — has contributed to maintaining a system of exploitation and plunder of its resources.  He also denounced national leaders who have often been granted democratic labels based on their capacity to sell off the resources and property of their people.

“The transition that I lead has chosen to focus methodically on clear objectives in a precise order:  the social, the economic and the political,” he pointed out.  The Sahel is going through one of the most serious crises in its very long history.  In this context, he stressed that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must stop getting involved in politics and favour dialogue.  “The African people are tired, exhausted of the categorizations with which everyone wants to box us in,” he said, declaring:  “We are neither pro- nor anti-American, neither pro- nor anti-Chinese, neither pro- nor anti-French, neither pro- nor anti-Russian, neither pro- nor anti-Turkish […] we are simply pro-African.”  “It is time to stop lecturing us, to stop treating us with condescension, like children,” he said, underscoring that the international community must look at Africa with new eyes.