The first coup at the time of the coronavirus took place in Mali. Sure the reasons that led to oust President Keta and his government far preceded the arrival of the pandemic. The country at the foot of the Sahara, one of the poorest in the world, has been known for years for its own political instability and severe insecurity for frequent terrorist attacks and inter-community conflicts. The virus has therefore rather done away with detonator of a crisis already in place, as has happened in other areas of the world: from Lebanon, where the premier resigned on pressure from the square after the tragic explosion at the port of Beirut, at Belarus where the protesters are demanding the president-dictator step back. The fear of contagion did not stop the protests even in Thailand and the United States, with thousands and thousands of people mobilized.
In Mali, popular discontent towards a president had been mounting for months who took office after a coup, in 2012, with the promise to free the country from the grip of Islamic extremists, give peace and get the economy back on track. The tension rose last March when, despite the lockdown, Keta still wanted the parliamentary elections to take place. The kidnapping of the opposition leader during the electoral campaign first and then the cancellation of the result in about thirty colleges by the Constitutional Court sparked anger and protests, then degenerated in July in the attacks on Parliament and on national television: three days of civil unrest with about ten dead. The restrictions first imposed in March led to a further one economic devastation of what was already one of the poorest countries in the world. Without however stemming the growing wave of jihadist and inter-community violence, despite the presence of over 4,500 French soldiers and about 13,000 UN peacekeepers.
No wonder so many of the protesters who have been taking to the streets in Bamako for months asking for the expulsion of Keta in the name of greater well-being and an end to violence welcomed the military coup. In fact, the Washington Post also warns, this coup could hinder the achievement of both objectives in the short term. Analysts warn that this coup – condemned by several parties: the African Union, the United Nations, the EU and European leaders, first of all the French President Macron – it could damage the gold trade, an asset of the Malian economy, more than the coronavirus has done so far: Paris may be reluctant to work with whom he has hunted a key ally; US laws expressly prohibit aiding post-coup governments.
In short, the pandemic has highlighted the social inequalities and inadequacies, the failures of many governments. But it seems easier to remove old corrupt regimes than to replace them with something new.
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20 August 2020 (change August 20, 2020 | 19:06)
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