The African Union has advised governments to be very alert following the coup in Mali, saying that such occurrences are very contagious and you never know who will be next.
Speaking to African leaders at the AU Secretariat, the AU Commissioner General warned African leaders to keep their ears on the ground because you never know where the axe will fall next. “We are concerned that this will be a new contagion that many despots could fall in the next few week. This is why we are cautioning to be alert.”
The news has sent shock waves among presidents in Africa, especially the elderly ones who have overstayed in power and are already facing some meaningful resistance. The risk is the same in places where leaders are ruling with an Iron fist and their development record is wanting.
The news of the coup in Mali has given African presidents sleepless nights and most of them are spending all their time monitoring their militaries, snooping on civil societies and tracking activists wherever they are.
