KAMPALA – President Yoweri Museveni has condemned the coup in Burkina Faso, blaming the military takeovers in West Africa on unrest in Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s government.
Addressing the nation to mark the country’s 36th “Liberation Day” at Kololo ground in the Kampala, President Yoweri Museveni said:
“West Africa’s problems started with the attack on Libya. After the government there collapsed, terrorist groups in Libya spread into Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and other countries.”
Blaming Libya’s chaos for insecurity in Africa, he said such coups could not have taken place had there been unity among the leaders in Africa.
He said terrorists destabilized governments because the African leaders failed to build strong armies.
The recent military coup deposing Burkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore is the fourth in a string of recent military takeovers in West and Central Africa, prompting fears of further regional instability.
Mutinous soldiers demanding more support for their fight against armed groups announced on Monday that they had toppled the democratically elected president.
While the takeover sparked widespread international condemnation, it was greeted with significant support in Burkina Faso.
Museveni also condemned power grabs in Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso.
He said Uganda joined hands with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fight the Allied Democratic Forces terrorists who have been killing people for over two decades.
Proposing a meeting of the West African leaders, he said if they work together, they can solve the issues of terrorism and coups in Africa.
The 15-country West African bloc the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are expected to hold a special session on Friday to discuss how to respond to the fourth military coup in the past year, after Mali, Chad and Guinea.
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