West Africa:  Is the Sub-Region a Periphery of Coups, Conflicts, Violence and Vengeance (Part IV)

By Binneh s Minteh, Former Gambian Army First Lieutenant. Newark, New Jersey

When one quickly analyzes the current trend of West Africa’s turbulent political landscape, it could be argued that the deadly peripheral political vulnerability of the sub-region is far from becoming a forgone tale, thus emboldening the region as reaching the point of departure confidently argued by several scholars of contemporary African Affairs.  Recent events in Guinea-Conakry that resulted to the deadly shooting of over 157 innocent civilians, the raping of innocent women and girls, the widespread dismissals, detentions and arrests across the senior echelon of The Gambian Armed Forces, and the political bigotry that propelled a hijacking of the constitution in Niger - constitutional changes that gave the incumbent President a third term mandate in a flawed election - has indeed raised several eyebrows.

No sooner than dust settled on the deadly political situation that epitomized the slaying of Guinea-Bissau’s one time strong man, the late President Nino Vierra, violent political ruptures in Guinea Conakry propelled a Military coup that brought into play Captain Moussa Dadis Camara’s National Council for Democracy and Development, shortly after the death of the late General Lasana Conteh.

As the sub-region welcomes the Nigerian Governments effort in granting amnesty and integrating renegade opposition combatants of the Niger Delta, the young Guinean Military leader whose revolution was widely characterized as a beacon of hope and a new chapter in Guinean politics, stunned the world when pro-democracy demonstrators were shot, tortured and raped at a political rally where Capatain Camara was expected to announce his intention of running for office.  In an age of technology, that has connected our modern world, images of torture and rape in the world wide web, international television and other media outlets caused an international outrage that called for the military leaders be brought to Justice. 

Following the wide international outrage, reports of the presence of former fighters from Liberia and Sierra-Leone, the presence of mercenaries from South Africa and emerging factions in the Guinean Army made the situation complex and challenging.  The December 3 2009, assassination plot by Captain Camara’s body guards brought to light the dangers and complexities of Guinea’s deadly political landscape.  With the alleged mastermind and aide-de-camp Lieutenant Abu-Bakr “Toumba” Diakite and other Guinean Military personnel at large, who knows what the future holds for the politically battered West African nation, duped as a rich mineral resource nation, yet harboring some of the poorest people of the world.  Hopefully  a collective global effort will safe the innocent men , women and children of Guinea from the menaces of wanton destruction by the military and marauding gangs of drug –barren criminals and mercenaries. 

While the situation in Guinea continues to be the ticking time bomb of the region, reports of classes between the Senegalese Armed Forces and separatist rebels of the Movement of Democratic Forces in The Cassamance, Southern Senegal, further brought to light West Africa’s deadly political peripheral reality.  The skirmishes along the borders of Southern Senegal have over the past few months sent hundreds and thousands of people fleeing into neighboring Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.  This has sometimes brought the leaders of the three West African nations at a logger –head. Even though scholars and conflict resolution analysts came up with several hypothesis and theories in effectively containing the crisis, it is unknown how regional institutions and leaders will find a lasting solution to the crisis. The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal can therefore be characterized as West Africa’s potential flashing tectonic conflict zone.  This is so because an escalation of the low level insurgency in Casamance may very well draw The Gambia and Guinea –Bissau into the conflict with Senegal. 

Wide-spread detentions and arrests among the senior cadre of The Gambian Armed Forces and other security apparatus  in the tiny West African nation has also brought to light a 15 years unraveling deadly political reality.  The Gambian President Yaya Jammeh, who came to power through a military coup in 1994, has fallen apart with almost all his comrades in the struggle.  Most either are executed, tortured and jailed or flee the country for fear of persecution. An international alarm on the state of press freedom and general human rights violations in the Gambia has also taken a forefront of Global Affairs.  The continuing dismissals, detentions and arrests of senior military and police officers in the miniscule West African nation left many wondering about the future of a one time beacon of peace and smiling Coast of West Africa: The Gambia.

Many fear that The Gambia may slowly but certainly be falling along the same trajectories as Guinea-Bissau, which witnessed divisions and deadly violent political conflicts among the senior officers of the country’s legendary liberators. How the recent divisions within The Gambian Armed Forces will shape the political landscape of the country, remain to be unknown.  What is certain is that, the situation may have well signaled “the end game,” as opined by Dr. Saine, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, Miami University.

The Gambian born Miami University Professor, may certainly be right on the dot, because “perennial political instability helped strengthen the army’s image and sense of national mission,” as seen happened in most transforming developing nations.  The disciplined, Professional and well –trained Gambian Armed Forces are no exception to such political realities.

 It may have also signaled the beginning of a complex, if not deadly violent political instability among potential factions of The Gambian Armed Forces.  One can only hope that, the beautiful innocent men and women of The Gambia will also be safe from the menaces of deadly weapons.

Apart from The Gambia’s volatile political situation, both Guineas deadly political  landscape and Niger’s political bigotry that dangerously divided the nation along political and ethnic lines  raises the question, is West Africa a Periphery of  coups, conflicts, violence and Vengeance, has the region reached its point of departure, as argued by several scholars of modern African Affairs.

Responding to the aforementioned questions requires an understanding that, with the region still dealing with refugee crisis caused by the civil wars of Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra –Leone, the deadly political instability in Guinea, the volatile political instability in The Gambia, the violent insurgency in Casamance, Southern Senegal, and the constitutional crisis in Niger, West Africa has indeed reached a point of departure as a region characterized by Coups, Conflicts, Violence and Vengeance.

Hopefully the experiences of Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Ivory-Coast will usher in a call to action for regional and international leaders.  What else could one say?

By Binneh s Minteh, Former Gambian Army First Lieutenant.

Newark, New Jersey

The author is an Independent Researcher, Analysts and Consultant.  He also produces The Sword of Truth at http://www.sofawarrior.blog.com/ .  He could be reach by email at bsm235@nyu.edu.