Leader of Guinea’s military junta, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, rattled the audience at the 78th United Nations (UN) General Assembly as he defended the use of military intervention as a legitimate tool for change of government in Africa.
Speaking at the ongoing General Assembly in New York, the Guinean leader called on western powers to stop lecturing Africa on governance, insisting that the Western model of democracy does not work in Africa.
He told the UN General Assembly in New York that the continent was suffering from a “model of governance that has been imposed on us” and which was “having trouble adapting to our reality”.
“It is time to stop lecturing us and stop treating us with condescension like children,” he added.
Col. Doumbouya defended his military coup, which was carried out in 2021, ousting President Alpha Condé, saying it was “to save our country from complete chaos”.
In his speech, Doumbouya asserted that Africans are tired of external categorizations. He said “it is insulting to classify ourselves according to the influences of the great powers.”
“We are neither for, nor against these nations. We are simply pro-African. It is important, in this prestigious and influential assembly, that we clearly understand that Daddy’s Africa, the old Africa, is over.”
On the wave of military interventions on the continent, especially the French speaking countries south of the Sahara, Doumbouya said “although widely condemned, it is essential not to limit ourselves to denouncing these acts, but to understand and address their root causes. Beyond armed putschists, those who manipulate the constitution or change the rules to maintain power are just as guilty. It is crucial to address the roots of the problem.”
Continuing, he expressed the opinion that “this Democratic model that you have so insidiously, skilfully imposed on us after the Laboule summit in France… does not work. Economic and social indices demonstrate this; This is not a value judgment on Democracy itself… this is just taking stock of the situation. It is an observation.
“This was a period of political games, to the detriment of what is essential, namely the economy and the local processing of our natural resources. Through my short but very intense experience managing a state, Guinea, I have come to better understand the extent to which this model has, above all, contributed to maintaining a system of exploitation and plunder of our resources by others and a rampant corruption of our elites; national leaders who have often been granted democratic labels based on their acquiescence or their ease in giving in to the recommendations of the great powers.
“These are the same people who profess democracy, who denounce poor governance and corruption, who dictate the rules. It is they who, very discreetly and underhandedly, are increasing pressure to make us cede our national wealth.
Doumbouya’s speech received rousing applause from the assembly.
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