Comments on: How much damage will Mauritania’s coup do to Africa?

By: Dennis Kasolo

Dennis Kasolo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:02:51 +0000

The AU is an impotent bull. Yes it is. Look at Kenya, Zimbabwe and all our recent Africanisms! It has done nothing but literally look on. When Western countries say something we’re quick to pull the imperialism card. When they say nothing, we say/do nothing. And who pays the price? The poor hardworking man in the country doing all he can to fight pests off his crop and sell it later for a living. You can not expect a corrupt auditor to clean up your institution. And that is why Africa is caught in this endless cycle of coup- short term peace- economic progress- repression- coup!!! That is our sad reality! Even more sad is that we’ve come to accept it, so yeah we read the headline “coup in Mauritania” and we’re so disensitized that we just move on. So are the multinationals that do business in Africa. They know where to apply the “lube” to keep going, regardless of who is in power.

By: Faten Aggad

Faten Aggad — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:21:09 +0000

The coup in Mauritania will not have a major effect on other African economies. For starters, Mauritania is not the most developed economic country on the continent. Secondly, by nature African economics do not have strong regional linkages. So that Mauritania has a coup will not lead the ‘continent’ to collapse, or reduce prospects for that matter. So in terms of the economic impact, I am not too sure the question is relevant. However, the coup in Mauritania raises more pertinent questions about the role of African institutions in dealing with conflict.
There’s just as much that the AU can do, unfortunately. The AU Constitutive Act (2000) and the Declaration on the Framework for an OAU Response to Unconstitutional Changes of Government (2000) are the only instruments that can be used – and the latter has been used resulting in the suspension of Mauritania from the AU as recently announced. In terms of the Declaration, lack of compliance to the AU’s demands to reinstate a democratic order will result in sanctions against Mauritania. Unfortunately, reinstating ‘democratic order’ can mean anything, including the holding of a flawed election that may bring back the perpetrators of the coup to power – hence legitimizing their power. So, just like in Zimbabwe, the coup in Mauritania proves yet again that as Africans we need to put in place mechanisms that allows us to deal with these crisis independently the view of X or Y leader.

By: Vincent

Vincent — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:23:28 +0000

What kind of question is this?

Another ignorant Western journalist who thinks Africa is a single country?

There are more than 50 countries in Africa, each with different cultures, political systems, economic systems, etc.

Mauritania is Mauritania and not Africa.

By: buffalojump

buffalojump — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:53:39 +0000

No damage at all. Everything is the same in Africa. Soon China will be pragmatic here as well while western nations whine.

By: Nduka Tolefe

Nduka Tolefe — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:44:50 +0000

No damage, why would it damage Africa, Mauritania is a very small part of Africa. When Neo Nazis attack foreigners in Germany, does it damage Europe?

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:08:37 +0000

This is typical in Africa, unfortunately. For the AU to intervene forcefully as I am sure many hope would need this in a provision of the AU’s charter which Muritania would be signatory to…Unfortunately owing to the fact that far too many member states are in fact military juntas in power without constitutional authority it is doubtful that such a provision exists, nor will they suffer it to be created for fear of the effect of it on their own rule. So whatever one might wish of AU intervention, the sad reality is that as a policing body it can do very little if anything.