Coup in São Tomé e Príncipe

There was a coup yesterday in São Tomé e Príncipe, the small Lusofone island country off the west coast of Africa.

A great deal of the concern stems from the oil deposits that have recently been found offshore and someone in the comments section of this blog made this comment:

I wish the U.S. had moved quickly to establish a base there, and sign a defense pact with the democratically elected government. Now, we should move quickly to reverse the coup and restore democracy - and then move rapidly to help Sao Tome develop its oil resources. And I'd like to see there (and in Iraq) the creation of an Alaska-like fund that takes a portion of the oil revenue and shares it with the citizenry.

No reason Sao Tome-ans have to be poor and tyranized.

Or exploited for their oil. How about we stay out of there and let the regional governments press the military to give this nonsense up?

Here's what has happened in response to the coup:

The United States, which buys crude from Africa's West Coast as a back-up to Middle Eastern supplies deplored the overthrow of the government, echoing condemnation from several African states.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan "strongly condemns the coup d'etat in Sao Tome and Principe and calls for the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order," a spokesman said.

Regional heavyweight Nigeria, which was expected to help impoverished Sao Tome tap its potential oil wealth, urged what it called "military adventurers" to hand over to a legitimate government.

Sao Tome's president, Fradique de Menezes, appealed for help from world leaders to reverse the coup on the twin-island state, which happened when he was in neighboring Nigeria.

[edit]

The career soldier [coup leader Major Fernando Pereira] is likely to face opposition on many fronts including former colonial power Portugal, which ruled Sao Tome for five centuries before independence in 1975 and denounced "an attempt to upset the constitutional order."

France, a key player in oil production in the region, also condemned the coup, which began before dawn Wednesday when residents awoke to the sound of gunshots.

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Ghana joined the chorus of criticism.

The country is heavily indebted and I doubt if these thugs will have a chance to get their hands on the oil. Under the circumstances, I can't see anyone giving them any credit or investing in the country to get to the oil, especially with the weight of world criticism resting squarely and heavily on their shoulders. This coup will probably fizzle out like the last one did.

What would probably help São Tomé e Príncipe would be to take a page from Costa Rica and abolish their army. I really can't see anyone invading them (the oil notwithstanding) and consider the following:

This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence 26 years ago. However, cocoa production has substantially declined because of drought and mismanagement. The resulting shortage of cocoa for export has created a persistent balance-of-payments problem. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has been unable to service its external debt and has had to depend on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. Sao Tome's success in implementing structural reforms has been rewarded by international donors, who have pledged increased assistance in 2001. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is also optimistic that substantial petroleum discoveries are forthcoming in its territorial waters in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea. Corruption scandals continue to weaken the economy.

Why are they spending money on an obviously restive military? Where is Pepe Figueres when you need him?

Comments

[adriana]

hi,

i've been reading your site almost daily this summer, and i must tell you (though it has no direct bearing on this post) that "beautiful horizons" looks fantastic in typepad. absolutely wonderful. not only is it easier to navigate your site, but the easy-access sidebars make for a more interactive and exciting visit as well.

adriana

[Bill Hobbs]

Thanks for mentioning my blog and my post on the coup in Sao Tome. I was also the writer of the comment you quoted.

My interest in the U.S. getting involved in Sao Tome stems from the fact that the legitimate elected president of that tiny nation has been seeking U.S. help specifically in the area of defense (given that tiny Sao Tome is basically defenseless against even a regional power like Nigeria) and that Sao Tome is non-Islamic while Nigeria is increasingly falling under the sway of the Islamist fundamentalists.

And, yes, because Sao Tome has oil. Lots of oil. By some estimates, 60 billion barrels of oil. It's in our mutual interest to help them A) re-establish the democracy, B) defend themselves, and, C) develop their oil resources, which are large enough to turn Sao Tome from a "tiny impoverished" country to the Brunei of Africa.

Nice blog by the way.

[Michael J. Totten]

Randy,

I don't know that I could trust the regional powers, such as they are, to help out much in Sao Tome. But I do like your idea of making the place like Costa Rica. With no military, there can be no coups or dictatorship.

Someone (Portugal, the US?) may have to ensure their security before they would feel comfortable taking that step, even though invasion is, as you said, rather unlikely. They live on an island, and I know of no African country with a threatening navy.

[Randy Paul]

Adriana,

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm very impressed with Typepad so far.

Bill Hobbs,

I find it very encouraging, not only for São Tomé e Príncipe, but also for Africa that leaders in Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique and pretty much the rest of Africa have expressed outrage over the coup and demand that the democratic government be restored.

I feel confident that the coup leaders will be unable to accomplish anything as foreign aid will dry up (which is what happened in 1995) and one hopes that businesses will not invest in the country until democracy is restored.

Brunei? No way:

Citizens do not exercise freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, or freedom of association. Labor rights were circumscribed and foreign workers sometimes were subjected to exploitation. Other human rights problems continued, including restrictions on religious freedom. Occasional spousal violence against women remained a problem, although the Government addressed the issue at many levels. Discrimination against women was a problem.

. . .

The law permits government intrusion into the privacy of individual persons, families, and homes. However, such intrusion rarely occurred, except in cases of enforcement of "khalwat", an Islamic prohibition on the close proximity of a Muslim and a member of the opposite sex other than a spouse. On these occasions, religious enforcement officers may use appropriate force to enter a home, building or vehicle to detain suspects.

Make São Tomé e Príncipe the Costa Rica of Africa: no military and a just, peaceful society.

Thanks for the kind words about the blog.

[Randy Paul]

Michael,

They did a pretty good job when it came to settling the Sierra Leone conflict through the UN.

I don't think that the coup will endure, but I do think that they have to disband the military.