Mrs Louisa Atta-Agyemang, the Co-Chairman of the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA), says the escalating pattern of toppling democratically elected governments in sub-Saharan Africa should not be entertained.
She described as intolerable the re-emergence of military Coup detats in especially West Africa and called for concerted efforts to stop it.
Mrs Atta-Agyemang was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA Forum 2024), held in Accra.
‘Since August 2020, for instance, power has changed hands unconstitutionally six times in five countries: Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Chad, and Mali,’ she said.
Mrs Atta-Agyemang said two other African countries saw thwarted coup attempts in this period, Niger in March 2021 and Guinea-Bissau in January 2022, the latter of which led to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), contemplating deploying a force to the country.
She said ‘such events underscore the urgent need for us to strengthen our democratic institutions and ensure th
at they are resilient against such disruptions.’
She said their mission at the Democrat Union of Africa was to advocate for and support democratic governance, uphold the rule of law, and promote political stability across the continent.
‘We must continue to stand firm against any actions that undermine these principles and work collectively to foster environments where democracy can thrive,’ she added.
She said there was the need to deepen democracy in Africa to address the myriad development deficit that had plagued the continent for decades.
The Co-Chairman said’ it resonated deeply with the challenges and opportunities we face today as a continent.
‘As we gather here today, it is essential to reaffirm our collective commitment to the principles that unite us as leaders, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and the rule of law,’ she said.
She said every leader present at the forum was a firm believer in the core values, which were fundamental to building and sustaining strong democratic institut
ions.
However, as ‘we celebrate our unity and shared values, we must also acknowledge and address the undemocratic happenings on our continent.’
She implored African leaders to create more opportunities that would embolden the youth to zealously safeguard the continent’s development.
‘For Africa, this is not just an opportunity but a necessity. We must harness our collective strengths to address the pressing challenges that have long hindered our progress,’ she said.
She said by fostering a culture of democracy, entrepreneurship, investing in education and healthcare, ‘we can build an Africa that stands tall on the global stage.’
Participants at the forum were the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in Uganda, Inkatha Freedom Party in South Africa, Unity Party in Liberia, PDCI-RDA in Ivory Coast, Popular Democratic Movement in Namibia, The Third Republic Party in Tunisia and The Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) in Mozambique.
Others were Kenya African National Union in Kenya, RENAMO in Mozambique,
Forces Démocratiques Pour LaRépublique (FDR) in Togo, Peoples Movement For Democratic Change (PMDC) in Sierra Leone, Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeria and the National Grand Coalition Party in Sierra Leone.
The rest are UNITA in Angola, CHADEMA in Tanzania, the Istiqlal Party in Morocco, Malawi Congress Party in Malawi, the ACDP in South Africa, the Democratic Party in Uganda, and Unión de Centro Derecha in Equatorial Guinea.
Source : Ghana News Agency
