ECOWAS countries should limit the use of Presidential guards in order to avoid the Niger coup from reoccurring, Liberian Chief of Armed Forces warns.
Maj.-Gen.Charles Johnson III, Chief of Staff of the Liberian Armed Forces, has stated that the authority of Presidential Guards must be reduced in order to prevent more coups in the ECOWAS area.
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Following the Coup d’etat that deposed Niger President Mohamed Bazoum on Wednesday, he emphasised that member states must be cautious of how much control the military has.
“My second recommendation was the establishment of a Presidential guard or elite forces with direct command of the commander in Chief.”
And, looking back at our past in Liberia, we’ve seen the issue of Presidential guards being abused.
According to the 2008 Peace and Reconciliation Report, the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit was implicated in a number of alleged atrocities.
When there is political interference in military command and control, such as having a Presidential guard, the Commander in Chief appointing someone to head it rather than allowing the CDS, Chief of Defence Staff DS to go through that process or having someone to control, it becomes a problem.
Because the CDS or Chief of Staff has no authority over the unit because he reports directly to the Commander in Chief,” he explained.
Johnson III stated that there is no legitimacy for any military coup, regardless of the circumstances.
There is no reason for any of this.
“There is no justification for all of the military coups that have occurred,” Johnson added.
The Liberian Major General also pushed for discussion with the struggling countries, stressing that sanctions were not the most effective method to settle such issues.
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He stated that if the countries are kept apart, terrorism will not be successfully combated, and that suspending them poses more risks, particularly with border countries.
We cannot tackle terrorism while these countries are suspended.”
