Tinubu to African leaders: Coups threatening stability of our continent… we must stop them

President Bola Tinubu says the recent coups in Africa are threatening the peace and stability of the continent.

Speaking on Saturday in Kenya at a high-level event organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on the margins of the fifth mid-year African Union (AU) coordination meeting, Tinubu described the coups as ugly incidents.

Represented by Adamu Lamuwa, permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign affairs, the president said “deliberate” measures must be taken to put a stop to military interruption of democratic governments.

“This ugly trend has only succeeded in threatening the peace, security and stability of the sub-region and by extension the African continent, leaving in its trail poverty, internally-displaced persons and humanitarian crisis,” Tinubu said.

“In the same vein, this ugly trend has also led to food shortages and escalated health challenges. ‘We therefore must take deliberate steps to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes and coups d’état in Africa.

“As a continent, we cannot make progress toward achieving the goals and targets of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as well as those of AU Agenda 2063 for the ‘Africa We Want’.

“Between 2020 and now, Africa has witnessed six successful coups d’état and three unsuccessful attempts. This rise in military takeovers and unconstitutional changes in government disrupts our democratic processes and undermines stability on the continent.

”It is for this reason that I call on all African leaders at all levels to make concerted efforts in respecting the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, in order to ensure political stability on the continent.”

On his part, coordinator of UNDP Regional Programme Coordinator (Africa), said Tinubu was invited to speak because of his inaugural speech where he “strongly” condemned the recent coups that have occurred on the continent recently.

On July 9, Tinubu was elected the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).