Suchergebnisse

(*) Revised version of a paper commissioned by the ECOWAS Commission and presented during a workshop on the Gulf of Guinea Conflict System, 21-23 August 2013 at Lome, Togo. (**) 'Kunle Amuwo, Professor of Political Science & International Relations, lives in Dakar, Senegal and currently works as an International Consultant on Conflict, Governance & Development.

To all appearances, the transition program of General Abdusalam Abubakar has, from the beginning, been torn between two contradictory policy and strategic choices. The first is whether to appease the prodemocracy and human rights groups by accepting the convocation of a sovereign national conference, with all this entails, including a postponement of the disengagement date. The second is whether to ignore these groups, and organize a rapid, short, and sharp transition program, even if fundamental issues, such as the "National Question," and restructuring the federation and the military, are sidetracked. By choosing the latter, the Abubakar junta demonstrated first that it would undertake the transition mainly on its own terms and with its own ideas.

The French colony of Niger gained republican status on 18 December 1958 and political independence on 3 August 1960. This vast country, twice the size of its ex-metropole, and which figures amongst the 25 least-developed countries in the world, was under the political direction of the Parti progressiste nigérien for over 15 years. The P.P.N. had come to power in September 1958, after capturing 78 per cent of the votes cast in favour of continued membership of the now defunct French Community, and was headed by Hamani Diori, the leader of the local section of the Rassemblement démocratique africain, the more or less common platform for French-speaking West African politicians after World War II. However, President Diori formed his first cabinet only after the independence constitution had been promulgated on 8 November 1960.

Der Sturz der Zivilregierung unter Diori im Jahre 1974 wurde von der nachfolgenden Militärjunta unter anderem mit weit verbreiteter Korruption von Regierung, Beamtenschaft und öffentlichem Dienst begründet. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden die verschiedenen Maßnahmen und Mechanismen diskutiert, mit denen die Militärregierung des Niger seither die verschiedenen Formen der Korruption im öffentlichen Bereich zu bekämpfen versucht. (DÜI-Hlb)