Coups are increasingly being attempted in West Africa. Mali, Guinea Conakry and Burkina Faso are now under military rule and a recent attempt was foiled in Guinea Bissau. This trend is threatening democratic gains in the region once touted the most progressive in Africa. This article by Wealth Dickson Ominabo is published by Vanguard.

The West Africa region and by extension the Sahel is undergoing a new phase of democratic ellipse, characterised by abnormal transfers of power, insecurity, human rights abuse and heightened state of democratic betrayals.

Four  successful coups within the last two years-two in Mali, one in  Guinea and now Burkina Faso foreshadows  a sad fate for democracy in the region and perpetrators of these political travesties are getting emboldened every day.

Unconstitutional change of government as witnessed in recent times in West Africa constitutes a political travesty that should attract severe sanctions from leaders who upturn the political fate of a people  and undermine the constitutional order of a nation thereby putting the region and  the sub -regional into threats and uncertainty.

Find the full article through this link.