The African continent has had a long history of coup d’état and it is still prevalent even in the 21st century.
The West African sub-region holds the record for the most military coups since the beginning of independence in the region, with Nigeria being no exception.
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, there have been five military coup d’états. Between 1966 and 1999, Nigeria was ruled by a military government without interruption, apart from a short-lived return to democracy under the Second Nigerian Republic of 1979 to 1983.
However, the most recent coup occurred in 1993, and there have been no significant further attempts under the Fourth Nigerian Republic, which restored multi-party democracy in 1999.
One of the many reasons the military rule is rejected is because of its economic disadvantage. Over the years in various countries across Africa, the economic effects of military rule have been disastrous.
During the military rule in Nigeria, the traditional agricultural based economy was abandoned and the country became extremely dependent on exports of oil which due to frequent fluctuations in oil prices led to an unstable economy.
The Babangida regime was characterised by “gross incompetence and unbridled, waste and mismanagement, the privatisation of public office and public resources, the neglect of non-oil sectors and misplaced priorities”.
As a result of the military-economic policy of the 1980s, 45% of foreign-exchange earnings were going into debt servicing and there was very little growth. This led to a rise in poverty, crime, child abuse, disease, institutional decay and urban dislocation.
The instability and dissatisfaction caused by these policies were one of the causes of the consistent pattern of coups.
In a very recent scenario, the Niger Coup has drawn attention to the harmful effects of military rule.
The military coup plotters in Mali, Burkina Faso have allied against the Economic Community of West African States over the recent coup d’état in the Republic of Niger.
The ECOWAS issued a seven-day ultimatum warning General Abdourahamane Tchiani to surrender power to the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
President Bazoum has reportedly been captured and placed in the custody of the country’s military junta General Tchiani.
Below is a list of African countries currently under the rulership of the military.
- Burkina Faso: (January 2022) Burkina Faso is a francophone West African nation, and according to the World Bank, it has a population of over 22.1 million (2021). With an area of 274,200 km², bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the southwest. The nation is under the leadership of 34-year-old Ibrahim Traoré.
- Chad: (April 2021) The Republic of Chad is a Northern African nation bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. It has a population of 17.18 million as of 2021, and they speak French and Arabic. Mahamat Idriss Déby is currently the leader of the country.
- Guinea: (September 2021) Another French-speaking nation located in the sub-region of West Africa. Guinea has a small population of 13.53 million and is known for the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve in the southeast. The reserve protects a forested mountain range rich in native plants and animals, including chimpanzees and the viviparous toad. A 43-year-old military man, Mamady Doumbouya, is currently the country’s leader.
- Mali: (August 2020) Mali becomes the third West African nation on this list and the fourth French colony. With an area of over 1,241,238 square kilometres and a population of 21.9 million, Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa. The 42-year-old Assimi Goïta is the military head and supreme leader of Mali.
- Niger: (July 2023) The Republic of Niger became the most recent military coup victim on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. It is also a French-speaking and West African nation with a population of 25.25 million.
President Mohamed Bazoum has been displaced by the head of the President’s Guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
- Sudan: (October 2021) Sundan is a Northern African nation with over 45.66 million. They speak Arabic, Nobiin language, and English. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is currently the leader of the people of Sudan.
