Being third in series, the 2023 report authored by African Peer Review Mechanism on behalf of the African Governance Architecture (AGA) presents an analysis of the influences, causes, drivers and triggers of Unconstitutional Change of Government (UCG) in Africa. The analysis is identified by organs of the African Union (AU) and verified by an elaborate process of country targeted reviews. The targeted reviews focused on five themes of integrity of democratic elections, diversity management and human rights, constitutional order and state legitimacy, economic governance, and public sector accountability, and finally, popular uprising, militarization and terrorism. The targeted reviews were conducted in the following countries the Kingdom of Lesotho, Republic of Chad, Republic of Guinea, Union of Comoros.
The Report further highlights the evolution of normative frameworks on UCGs and provides compelling evidence of the relationship between UCGs and weak economic governance and poor public sector accountability through illicit financial flows, high rates of inflation, growing budget deficit and debt, persistent poverty, inequality, unemployment, pervasive corruption, lack of transparency and accountability of the civil service and poor public service delivery.
The Report also offers wide ranging set of recommendations and further encouraged the AU to strictly implement instruments that are already in place, namely the Constitutive Act, the Lomé Declaration, the PSC Protocol, African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, Ezulwini Framework for the Enhancement of the Implementation of Measures of the African Union in situations of Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa and to focus on preventive measures. To ensure an effective sanctions regime against unconstitutional changes of government.