A sobering number of coups in Africa
What is a coup?
A coup, short for coup d’état, can be defined as an illegal and overt attempt by the military — or by civilian officials — to unseat sitting leaders or disrupt a peaceful transition of power.
According to a recent study (see below), over 200 such attempts in Africa since the 1950s. About half of these have been successful.
13 successful coups took place in Africa in the first two decades of this century alone.
Senegal continues to stand as an exception. This West African nation has never experienced a coup since gaining independence in 1960.
- ECOWAS was close to a military intervention to restore the elected president in Niger.
- The new president in Gabon is said to be related to the disposed president.
- 2 successful coups in Burkina Faso.
- The coup attempts in Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe failed.
- The coup in Chad was a so-called dynastic coup, in which the army installed the deceased president’s son as interim president, leading a transitional military council.
- Sudan has experienced 3 revolutions and 14 coups since the 1950s.
After a sharp uptick in African coups in the previous years, 2024 and 2025 have been relatively quiet
2021 to 2023 saw a sharp uptick in coups in Africa, mostly in the Sahel. The situation quieted down in 2024, though Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Gabon remain under military rule from earlier coups.
Tensions remain high in countries like Chad, Sudan, and the Sahel region, with frequent rumors and attempted plots, but no successful new coups reported since 2024.
2023: 2 coups
Niger and Gabon
2022: 5 coups, 3 failed
Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe
2021: 6 coups
Chad, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Niger
2020: 1 coup
Mali
More research on the history of coups in Africa can be found in the this article on the BBC website.