Afrika Club.

The Africa Club is an informal discussion forum for people interested in African issues. Participants come from public institutions, the African diaspora, civil society, academia and the media. Topics are current developments in Africa, EU-Africa relations and the situation of the African diaspora in Europe and Austria. The goals are the exchange of information - with different backgrounds and perspectives - and the building of knowledge networks.

Coups against democracy or anti-colonial acts?

The Franco-Cameroonian journalist Marie-Roger Biola noted  general government failures and difficult security situations in the countries. The elites did not place enough focus on the economic plight of the people in their actions. Unemployment is high. The youth are desperate and the situation is worse than ten years ago. They are facade democracies. The international community would have ignored these deficits. In northern Mali there is violence caused by jihadists, and rebels have demanded their own state. France promised to sort out the situation, but everything has gotten worse. The situation is similar in Burkina Faso. A civilian president failed to calm the situation. Niger has rich uranium deposits. But the population cannot share in the wealth. The coup was also about control over oil reserves. France is seen by many as a scapegoat, but that is too easy.France is in the foreground, but is not the main reason for the coup wave. The model of democracy is being questioned; it has brought no benefits to the people. People lack perspectives and the coups offer no alternative. Biloa pointed out that the military in Mali is corrupt. In Burkina Faso there are power struggles within the security forces.  read more