A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, has emphasized that the most effective means of preventing military coups is through the establishment of good governance.

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Kotin's remarks come in the wake of a recent coup in Gabon, during which military officers took control and invalidated the results of the recent presidential election, which had been won by President Ali Bongo.

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Kotin told Umaru Sanda Amadu in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM in Accra on Wednesday that “if you look at the history of Francophone countries, it has always been a system where a family will rule for a long period of time, following the tenets of their colonial masters. In Gabon, for example, one family has been able to rule the country for over 50 years. So Francophone countries have a peculiar problem. But there is also a mix of factors at play, due to globalization and the export of culture.”

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“People are increasingly becoming aware of their rights, and you see that we have older people who are ruling younger people… and not giving them the opportunity, and they don’t seem to get their way out, it goes through some form of triggers and when it explodes these are some of the things that happen. So it is a wake-up call that good governance, nothing but good governance is the panacea to stopping these military coups.”

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Gabon's President Ali Bongo has released a video on social media, urging his international allies to raise their voices against the coup.

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In the video, President Bongo reassures the public that he and his family are safe. He expresses uncertainty about the situation unfolding in the country and calls on his friends worldwide to bring attention to the coup.

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“Nothing is happening. I don’t know what is going on.”

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He again urges his “friends” to speak up, before thanking them.

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