West Africa (MNN) — Presidents in Rwanda, Cameroon, and Guinea-Bissau rearrange their senior military lineup to prevent an outcome like Gabon’s coup, the eighth putsch since 2020 in West and Central Africa.
According to a U.S. think tank, there were no coup attempts in Africa between 2007 and 2018. However, 13 revolts across the continent occurred in the past four years.
“The pattern seems to be coming out of the military because they have enough muscle behind them to carry it (the coup) out,” World Mission’s Greg Kelley says.
Power-hungry generals often forget Aristotle’s famous phrase – “Nature abhors a vacuum.” Military rule doesn’t always lead to national security or stability.
Instead, “it creates an absolute prime ground for the al Qaeda’s and the ISIS’s of the world, who have a complete takeover on their mind,” Kelley says.
“They can come into these places that are fractured, unstable, and vulnerable, and capitalize on that [chaos.]”
While instability creates openings for terrorists, uncertainty creates Gospel opportunities. Connect with World Mission here to help empower church planters in the region.
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, ‘What is my role in this?’ Jesus called us to pray for the leaders of nations. But it also goes beyond our prayers,” Kelley says.
“We need to come alongside organizations intentionally involved in [disciple-making] – not just making converts. Converts don’t survive in these environments where radical Islam is at work.”
Header image depicts militants involved in Burkina Faso’s January 2022 coup. (Wikimedia Commons)
