GABON: Military coups were common in parts of Africa in decades after independence. But after a period of relative democratic stability, there are signs that they are on the rise.
Gabon’s takeover is just the latest in a series of coups in recent years and comes just a month after troops took control of Niger.
In 2022, there were two in Burkina Faso, as well as failed coup attempts in Guinea Bissau, Gambia and the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
In 2021, there were six coup attempts in Africa, four of which were successful.
Last year, African Union High Representative Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed concern about “the renewal of unconstitutional government changes”.
When is a coup a coup?
A coup can be defined as an illegal and overt attempt by the military – or other civilian officials – to depose a sitting leader.
A study by two American scientists, Jonathan Powell and Clayton Thyne, identified over 200 such attempts in Africa since the 1950s. About half of them were successful.
Sometimes those who took part in such an intervention deny that it is a coup.
In 2017, a military takeover ended the 37-year rule of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. But one of the leaders, Major General Sibusiso Moyo, appeared on television at the time and flatly denied that it was a military takeover.
In April 2021, following the death of Chadian leader Idrisse Déby, the military installed his son as interim president, leading a transitional military council which was termed a ‘dynastic coup’ by his opposition.
“Coup leaders almost always deny that their act was a coup in an attempt to appear legitimate,” says Jonathan Powell.
How common are coups on the continent?
The total number of coup attempts in Africa remained fairly consistent between 1960 and 2000 at an average of around four per year.
Jonathan Powell believes that it is no surprise that given the instability, many countries faced problems after independence.
“African countries had conditions common to coups, such as poverty and poor economic performance. When a country has one coup, it is often a harbinger of more coups.”
In the years after 2000, military interventions became fewer. Only in the last few years have coups become more prevalent. In 2020, there was only one coup (in Mali).
In 2021, five countries experienced military interventions and they are Chad, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Niger.
There were also five attempts in 2022, with two – both in Burkina Faso – succeeding.
Ndubuisi Christian Ani of the University of KwaZulu-Natal says popular uprisings against long-time dictators have provided an opportunity for coups to return in Africa.
“While popular uprisings are legitimate and led by the people, success is often determined by decisions made by the military,” he says.
Which nation had the most coups?
Sudan has had the most coups and takeover attempts at 16 – six of which were successful.
In 2019, long-time leader Umar al-Bashir was ousted from power after months of protests. Bashir himself came after a military coup in 1989.
Burkina Faso in West Africa has the most successful coups rate with nine complete takeovers and one failed coup.
Nigeria had a reputation for military coups after independence, with eight between January 1966 and General Sani Abacha’s takeover in 1993. However, since 1999, transfers of power in Africa’s most populous nation have taken place through democratic elections.
Burundi’s history has been marked by eleven separate coups, mostly caused by tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi communities.
Sierra Leone experienced three coups between 1967 and 1968 and another in 1971 and after relatively calm it changed and between 1992 and 1997, it experienced five more coup attempts.
Ghana has also had its share of military coups, with eight in twenty years with the first one in 1966 when Kwame Nkrumah was removed from power and the following year there was an unsuccessful attempt.
In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said “military coups are back,” adding that “geo-political differences are undermining international cooperation and…a sense of impunity is setting in,” he said.
Africa on the whole has experienced more coups than any other continent. Of the 18 coups recorded globally since 2017, all but one—Myanmar in 2021—occurred in Africa.
