With the theme “how to strengthen political transitions towards democratic governance in Africa”, the debates at the Lomé Peace and Security Forum which concluded on Sunday were lively.
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With our special correspondent in Lomé, Serge Daniel
How can we help the countries of the continent led by putschists to move towards democratic governance? The Lomé Peace and Security Forumaccording to Robert Dussey, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, just as “ a majority of panelists “, think that “ sanctions are not necessarily the best solution “.
“ The best solution at the level of our forum is to discuss with all the transitional regimes in order to help them emerge from the transition to build a democratic rule of law. », he adds.
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“The basics of stability”
But what to do when some perpetrators of military coups settle into power as if they never want to leave? “ Most of the countries currently in military transition were already in military transition around ten years ago. We actually understand that transitions and the way they are managed, including the period immediately after a transition, have the capacity to lay the foundations for stability or, on the contrary, can prepare the ground for the next coup d’état. », analyzes Lori-Anne Théroux-Bénoni, director of the regional office of the Institute for Security Studies for West Africa, the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin.
And in the ranks of the participants, a point of view comes back from several participants. “ Democracy is a bad system, but it is the least bad of all systems », insisted other members at the meeting in Lomé.
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