Beninese and Beninese, my dear compatriots, dear African peoples, dear Nigerien peoples, it is with great dismay that I received the news of the coup d’état perpetrated by the Nigerien defense and security forces on July 26, 2023.
I want to express my disapproval of any process that disrupts the normal course of power established through an electoral and democratic process. Thus, I strongly condemn this coup d’état against President Bazoum. However, I do not call for the reinstatement of President Bazoum in his function. If the presidential guard has come to end his power, it is because he judged that in the higher interest of Niger, this sacrifice was necessary.
What is a man compared to the destiny of a nation? And who better than the presidential guard? Who better than the defense and security forces of Niger? They know better what is good for their country at a moment in their history. Therefore, I would like to call on the other presidents of ECOWAS to open their minds and stop preaching about democratic principles that they themselves do not fully apply in their own countries.
Those who know Niger must remember that President Hama Hamadou was prevented from running for office so that citizen Bazoum could be elected without any competition. I am not shocked or surprised by his end. Unfortunately, the situation of transition in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and now Niger, concerns the people of these countries more than the presidents of ECOWAS countries, who are not as respectful of democratic rules as they claim to be. It seems that these transitional military regimes have more support from their people than some African presidents who act as democracy professors.
I have nothing against President Tinubu of Nigeria, although my candidate was Atiku in the last Nigerian presidential election, which has not yet reached its conclusion. Indeed, President Tinubu is still before the electoral tribunal which must validate or invalidate his election for new fair and equitable presidential elections. When one is in the uncertain position of President Tinubu’s mandate, there are positions that should not be taken on the international stage.
At the risk of being wrong, it was during the meeting on July 18, 2023, in Abuja, where President Tinubu practically threatened military regimes and talked about the role of the army in our societies. If I were a military man, I would say, disdainfully. The civilians must stop believing that our armies are only made up of soldiers carrying backpacks. The army in our countries consists of highly educated high-ranking officers. Civilians must stop infantilizing the military.
Yes, I want to remind everyone that power is at the end of the gun. We must keep that in mind. I want to see Bazoum in his new position, being able to remove the Malian, Burkinabe, and now Nigerien military from power. In truth, African civilian presidents must understand that they are in power because their defense and security forces allow it.
I want to assure the Beninese people that the Benin army has more interest in having Patrice Talon in power than anyone else. President Patrice Talon has given our army a prominent place. Those who dream of a coup d’état in Benin do not understand the political history. That being said, I want to invite President Patrice Talon to focus on Benin and forget about other countries whose political regimes do not prevent him from building Benin.
Mr. Patrice Talon, President of Benin, take care of Benin and leave those who want to impose democracy on Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, to do so. We cannot impose a political regime on others. Moreover, ECOWAS is not in a position to preach about democracy. Mr. President Patrice Talon, Benin needs you to continue its construction and progress, step by step, in the political choice it has made. Above all, do not meddle in the affairs of Niger, let alone Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea. It is not a duty of truth, but because Benin needs you, that I allow myself to tell you the plain truth.
Democracy is not an export product that some countries can sell to others. The electoral system of Nigeria, compared to our electoral system in Benin, is not a democracy. The American system, compared to the French system, is not a democracy either. In short, no country has the perfect system that it must impose on other countries. There are times when, unfortunately, the salvation of the nation requires the violation of established rules.
The proof is that General de Gaulle, whom all French people cite as an example, was a putschist when France was in a political and survival crisis. I do not believe that any military would conduct a coup d’état today simply out of political ambition or madness. No military is that naive anymore. Our countries already have too much misery for countries that cannot even feed their people to think about reinstalling a president that their defense and security forces have removed. Not by military force, but through economic and diplomatic sanctions. Benin has more to lose in this game than the countries we want to sanction. Yes, that is what I believe. I am…
