The recent coup in Burkina Faso that deposed Roch Marc Kaboré may be a consequence of the president’s many failures. But it also reflects the continued failure of the African Union (AU) in preventing specific problems in member states from degenerating into coups.
When military officers in the former Upper Volta dismissed pioneer president Maurice Yameogo from office on January 3, 1966, the public was thrown into a frenzy in approval of the coup, and rightly so. Yameogo had brutally cracked down on labour union activists protesting against the sudden austerity measures that included a hike in tax rates.
The Organisation of African Unity was unable to influence Yameogo from pursuing anti-social policies and committing atrocities until they culminated in the 1966 coup…..
To read more, check full article on Mail & Guardian.