Professor Stephen Levine, a lecturer on African politics at Victoria University of Wellington, tells The Front Page podcast there are certain common themes that run across many of these countries.
“There’s the absence of peace and stability in [these countries],” says Levine.
“All of them, except for Gabon, are countries which have been experiencing chronic insecurity, violence and internal disruption from a whole host of militant groups, so-called non-state actors, many of them motivated by political or religious ideologies, which are not easily susceptible to negotiated settlements.”
It’s also critical to view this instability in the historical context of Africa, which saw a wave of independence sweep through the continent following the end of colonial rule in the 1960s. Levine says that looking back on this, the importance of the first major coup in Africa should not be overlooked.
“[The coup] took place in the small West African country of Togo in January 1963. The president’s name was Silvanus Olympio. He was assassinated, and ultimately, the man who claimed to have killed him became president. This first military coup in Africa succeeded, and because it succeeded, it sent a message to other military leaders all across Africa that they could overthrow elected leaders.”
Levine explains a successful coup culture can lead to a permissiveness toward military intervention, as was also seen in the case of Fiji in years past.
“One coup not reversed, despite international disapproval, leads eventually to another,” says Levine.
Living in the relative stability of Western nations, it can be easy to dismiss the instability across Africa. But this ultimately overlooks the growing importance of Africa to the global economy amid rapidly changing demographic profiles, particularly across the developed world.
As the Western populations grow older with each passing year, Africa is often seen as the future of humanity, with United Nations estimates predicting that the continent will account for 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of the century.
“Many people will find this surprising, because much of the news we have about Africa dwells upon famine, droughts, people fleeing, refugees, disease and disasters, giving you the impression there should be significant population loss rather than such population growth,” says Levine.
“In fact, all the bad news about Africa, including the coups, actually leaves an unbalanced image about [the continent]. So it’s worthwhile pointing out, at least in passing, that there are African countries which are stable, democratic, prosperous, respect global norms and which have made great strides and offer stories of success.”
Botswana, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Cape Verde are just some of the examples put forward by Levine.
- So, is there any way to ensure that these coups stop?
- Should larger African countries be concerned about this instability?
- Why is the Chinese government so interested in Africa?
- And what role should the rest of the world play in aiding countries hit by this unrest?
For a broader explanation of these complex issues, listen to the full episode of The Front Page podcast.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. It is presented by Damien Venuto, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in business reporting who joined the Herald in 2017.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
