The Ghana Armed Forces(GFA) has assured the public that Ghana will not experience a military coup d’etat like other African countries in recent times.
Chief of Defence Staff of the GFA, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, disclosed this when leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Accra.
According to Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the military has no business in governance but rather in promoting the constitution and the will of the people.
“When it comes to coups and things like that, Ghanaians should be assured that the Ghana Armed Forces is not interested,” he stated.
His remarks follow a spate of coup d’etats in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which has alarmed many individuals.
Military coup d’etats have become common among Africa’s 54 nations since many gained independence from colonialists.
In the last three years, West Africa alone has experienced an alarming number of successful coup d’etats.
The military overthrew the Nigerien government of President Mohamed Bazzoum on July 26, 2023.
The junta immediately dissolved the constitution, closed all public institutions and shut all borders, attracting sanctions and possible military intervention from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
In 2022, Burkina Faso was rocked with two military coup d’etats within months: January and September.
This raises several questions and worries concerning the peace and stability of the deprived region.
Why military coup d’etats and why West Africa?
Studying the trends, one can identify similar causes cited by the military juntas, such as corruption, mismanagement, ailing economies, power consolidation, dictatorship and acquiescence to colonialists.
These reasons have been the same or similar to the ones cited since coups in the region started in the 1960s.