The Buhari Government showed its support for dictators across the region during the general elections in neighbouring Benin and Chad; and then the military coup in Chad. Fake elections in the Benin and Chad in April had nothing to do with freedom nor democracy. Yet these façades were given credence by the Nigerian government as the regional power in West Africa.
Presidential “elections” were held in Benin on Sunday April 11 with the main opposition figures in retreat, exile or prison and key opposition leaders boycotted the election. The centre and the north of the country were paralyzed by demonstrators who denounced the confiscation of the ballot by the outgoing president, Patrice Talon. The former businessman made his fortune in agricultural inputs and then cotton and was first elected in 2016 when he promised only to stand for one term. He claims to have won 86% of the vote, but only half of the electorate voted.
Electoral workers tally the votes after the previous election in 2011.
Protestors shouted “Talon get out!” and “Five years is five years, not a day more”. Some people were killed in gunfire in the central town of Bante when security forces fired warning shots.
According to several human rights NGOs, the situation continues to deteriorate. Since the beginning of this year, Amnesty International has documented the summons, arrest or conviction of at least twelve political opponents. The sitting President was given support with his visit to Buhari in January. Benin is dependent on trade with Nigeria. This suffered with the closure of the boarders last year.
As in Nigeria, the health sector is run-down and there was a two month strike in 2017 over threats of privatisation of the sector. Last year there were concerns about the re-opening of schools over Covid-19 and the threat of privatisation as a private sector agency was used to recruit and pay teachers.
Chad vote
President Idriss Déby seized power with a military coup is 1990. It was claimed that he was re-elected for a sixth term on 11th April with 80% of the vote. As in Benin, opposition figures had called for a boycott of the polls. The people of Chad suffer from deadly ethnicism, generalized nepotism, institutionalized corruption, permanent war. The Chad government spends the same amount on the army as South Africa, this explains its strength. In contrast, as in Nigeria, 40% of the population live below the poverty line.
The British weekly, The Economist ranks Chad alongside North Korea and Syria among the five most authoritarian countries on the planet. The NGO Transparency International counts Chad among the five most corrupt countries in the world.
Déby a vicious dictator for 30 years is to be replaced by a Military Council led by his son. So much for democracy! He also claimed to have destroyed the rebels that managed to kill him.
It is hoped that the trade unions can take advantage of this situation to push for their demands. In 2018 there was a five month strike by public sector workers that won significant wage increases. In January 2020 there was a three day national general strike against austerity and cuts in workers’ allowances.
President Buhari said: “I am deeply shocked and devastated by the sudden death of Idriss Deby… he was a friend of Nigeria who joyfully lent his hand to our efforts to defeat the murderous Boko Haram”. Similarly, the French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the late President calling him a “brave friend” and “a great soldier”.
Buhari and Déby
Buhari and Macron were happy to support the former dictator who devoted so much of his countries resources to the army that was used against “the war on terror” in Mali, Nigeria and other countries in the region.
These ‘democrats’ were however, silent on military coup on 20th April, the day former president died. The army has said it has suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament and imposed a military council for 18 months. This is headed by the former president’s son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, who was head of the Presidential Guard. Based on the Chadian constitution, the speaker of the parliament should assume power for an interim period of 40 days following the death of a sitting president.
In contrast, about 30 “democratic opposition political parties are calling for a civilian-led transition… through inclusive dialogue”. They also called on the international community “to support the Chadian people in restoring the rule of law and democracy”. In reality, global and regional powers, especially Nigeria, were content to support the Chadian dictator and will support his son as long as he brings ‘stability’ and supports “the war on terror”.
