Students concerned about coups and decline of democracy

The African student community has expressed concern over the negative impact of coups in the West Africa region on the delivery of quality education as well as on the welfare of students, and they have appealed to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to step up its commitments to protect democracy.

“The All-Africa Students Union (AASU) welcomes the decision of ECOWAS to protect and strengthen democratic values in the West African region,” the AASU said in a 7 February statement issued by Peter Kwasi Kodjie, the secretary general of the AASU.

“AASU lauds the regional bloc’s resolution to step up its commitments towards the protection of democracy as it sought to discuss the political and security situation in the republics of Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali at its extraordinary summit on 3 February 2022 in Accra, Ghana,” he said.

The Ghana-based AASU is an umbrella organisation representing 55 universities and institutions of higher learning in all the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Sudan, its newest member.

The final communiqué of the ECOWAS summit raised concern over the breach of constitutional order in the region, notably through attempted and successful coups.

“In this regard, the authority reaffirms its commitment to strengthening democracy, freedom and good governance in the region and instructs the commission to expedite the review of the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the related legal instruments,” stated the ECOWAS communiqué.

The African Union has also condemned the ‘wave’ of military coups at the 35th session of its summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 5-6 February.

Students take a stand

“AASU finds this move refreshing as it has been concerned about the rapid decline of democratic values in West Africa, characterised mainly by coup d’états, human rights abuses and the lack of peoples’ participation in governance processes,” Kodjie added.

“AASU was deeply alarmed by the region’s hosting of an unprecedented number of coup d’états … with the international community labelling it as a coup bloc,” he said.

In the past 18 months, military leaders have toppled the governments of Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan and now, Burkina Faso, along with a failed coup attempt in Niger.

Coup impact on education

Kodjie said: “Coups disrupt learning activities as students, educators and educational institutions become vulnerable in the chaotic situations they present.

“This does not provide a sound and secure environment, which is necessary for delivering quality education,” he added.

His view is in line with the 2020 study ‘Political stability and innovation in Africa’, which indicated that political uncertainty promotes talented scientists’ emigration and negatively affects innovative performance.

Also, the 2020 study, entitled ‘Disastrous impact of corruption, political instability and expropriation risk on quality of education: Evidence from Asian countries’ indicated that political instability is one of the main factors that have significant impact on the quality of education.

Student movements can bring about change

A 2020 study, ‘Student Movements and Autocracies in Africa’ demonstrated how student movements and youth-led protests against autocracies in African countries have been successful in shifting political bases of power.

“The role of students as actors [who are] well positioned to use protest and organised movements to bring about political change has continuously been challenged since independence, suggesting a waning in ‘student power’ over time,” noted the study, which uses Sudanese, Tanzanian and Senegalese students’ movements as examples.

For example, despite a crackdown that has killed several students, Sudanese university students have supported civil disobedience and regularly taken to the streets demanding a return to civilian rule since a military coup on 25 October 2021 ended a power-sharing arrangement that was established after a popular uprising lead by students, among others, removed president Omar al-Bashir in December 2019.

On 6 February, students of the Omdurman Islamic University protested to demand justice and support the case of the student Abdul Aziz Al-Sadiq, who was killed last year, as well as to call for an end to the killing of students.

“As a promoter of democracy and good governance, AASU, believes that democracy ensures the peace and stability required for the education sector in Africa to thrive,” said Kodjie.

“AASU, therefore, calls on African governments to reaffirm their commitments to strengthening democracy, freedom and good governance to create and sustain peace and stability on the African continent,” he said.

“AASU stands committed to advocating for democratic principles that would assure the welfare of students and young people on the African continent.”