Nigerian, other West African leaders should reduce presidential guards’ power to prevent coups: Liberian army chief

To prevent more coups in West Africa, Maj.-Gen. Charles Johnson III, chief of staff to the Liberian Armed Forces, says the powers of presidential guards of the commander-in-chief must be limited.

Mr Johnson disclosed this while speaking with journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of the joint de-localised meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committees on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and the African Peer Review Mechanism, Judicial Affairs and Human Rights, Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment in Monrovia.

Following the coup d’etat that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said member states must be mindful of how much control the military has.

“My recommendation was on the issue of presidential guards or elite forces that have direct control on the commander-in-chief. So, if you look at what is happening in Niger, it is the presidential guards. And look at our history in Liberia. We have seen the issue of these guards being misused,” the Liberian army chief explained.

He added, “The Peace and Reconciliation report of 2008 says that the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit was involved into a lot of alleged atrocities. That is why I emphasise the need for us to be mindful and not allow the military have this control.” 

The military chief explained that “when you have this political interference into the command and control of the military, like having a presidential guard, the commander-in-chief selecting somebody to head it instead of allowing the CDS, chief of defence staff to go through that process or having somebody to control, then it becomes a problem,” noting that because the CDS or the chief of staff have no control over the unit because he takes direct control from the commander-in-chief.

Mr Johnson said there “is no justification for any military coup no matter the situation, as he strongly advised members of the ECOWAS to advise their governments against interfering with military deployments.”

The Liberian general also advocated dialogue with the embattled countries, noting that sanctions were not the best way to resolve such crises.

“So, my last recommendation is that we need to dialogue. We cannot fight terrorism if we suspend these countries. We have a border with Guinea. We need to protect that borderland between Liberia and Guinea. If our heads of state go ahead to sanction them, can you still allow me to work with Guinea?” Mr Johnson stressed. “Because if I am not working with Guinea, it is going to be difficult. That is why I made a recommendation that we still need to dialogue and use the committee of the chief of defence staff to be the ones engaging some of these activities that we have in our region.”

(NAN)