The Parisian political and media scene has recently been the scene of a series of coups d’état in French-speaking Africa. France, under the leadership of Emmanuel Macron, seems to want to make people believe that bad putschists targeted democratic leaders and defenders of freedoms.
However, the reality is much more complex, even in Cameroon, where power has gradually become militarized over the decades, with the approval of France and the United States.
For observers and critics on the African continent, these events provided an opportunity for speculation about political upheavals that seemed unpredictable. The presidential rhetoric itself has called into question the possibility of having stable states in the Sahel, ignoring the end of the Bongo emirate, established by France. The figures of the presidential guards, long neglected, suddenly took center stage in this play, closer to a farce than a Shakespearean tragedy.
It is important not to forget that during a coup d’état, there are often fewer civilian casualties than after a validated democratic election, an attack by a non-state armed group (such as GANE) or a bombing. air force of the French army. The domino theory has emerged, leaving the question of who will be next on the list hanging. All eyes are on Congo-Brazzaville and Cameroon, where older leaders appear to retain their grip on power, despite the presence of military elites. However, it should not be forgotten that these two Central African states have been torn apart by wars for many years, and that their leaders have maintained their power through a form of permanent coup d’état, reinforced by the use thousands of armed men.
