Dinshak Luka Dajahar, PhD

Magai Nimyel

&

Jesse Leawat

Abstract
Unconstitutional Change of Government (UCG) in several African States, whether through coup
d’états or manipulation of the constitution or electoral process, has often been a source of instability
for governance on the continent. This usually heightens insecurity and impedes development. Even
though the African Union and its sub-regional affiliates have adopted normative frameworks for
addressing the challenge of UCG, these do not seem to have ended the problem. It rather seems to
be on the rise, especially in the West African sub-region. This paper adopted desktop research,
which entailed accessing secondary data from relevant sources, including documents from the
African Union and sub-regional bodies, and using content analysis for the data. The paper found
out that the root cause of UCG is a deficit in governance, and the leadership of these supranational
organisations, who are the heads of governments in their own countries, is unable to repudiate
erring states because they are complicit. National citizens also lack the capacity, in the absence of
strong institutions, to properly respond to the debacle. The paper therefore recommends that civil
society and other stakeholders in member states should employ concerted advocacy at every
pertinent level of engagement towards addressing the challenges that lead to and come with UCG
to ensure political stability in African states.

Introduction
In several African states, the process of political transition has persistently been marred with
violence. Where elections are held, electoral violence before, during and after the elections is not
uncommon. At other times, the change in government is brought about by military intervention
(coup d’états). Africa, and especially the West African sub-region, is currently witnessing a
resurgence of…

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