Coups on the Rise in Africa: How This Will Affect Democracy
- Vardui Chtrkyan
- Nov 8
- 2 min read
By: Joshua Blond
The government in Africa is currently the victim of a wide variety of coups, with this rise in coups being a huge threat to African Democracy. Coups are defined as illegal if not overt attempts to seize control over a government. There are four main variations of coups. Palace coups are when one part of government displaces another. Putsch is a planned attempt, typically by the military, to overthrow the government. A self-coup is when an appointed official attempts to stay in office illegally. An administrative coup is an illegal overthrow of the government, typically through non-violent intimidation, bullying, extortion, and threatening media (Choose Democracy, n.d.).
Currently in Africa, they are facing administrative coups. Specifically, they are facing administrative coups not only by groups of people but also by the military. Since 2020, Africa has experienced nine military coups. The reasoning as to why these coups occurred in 2020 and after is because they took advantage of the fact that the government was recovering from the impacts the global pandemic had. These coups also occur as a result of security weaknesses within the governments of Africa. In 2021, in the country of Mali (a landlocked country in West Africa, there was a military takeover which the government claimed was due to national security failures in the face of “radical jihadi territorial gains (Britannica, 2024).”
Countries including Gabon, Niger, Burkina, Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Chad, and Mali have had military takeovers. The country of Niger even implemented sanctions and threatened the military in an attempt to prevent coups and to restore government order (Williamson, n.d.). Countries do everything in their power to prevent coups, as they are incredibly harmful and lead to wars and conflict among the people who live in states where coups are occurring. Leaders of coups are learning how to destroy pre-existing functional governments and take them over, causing chaos and the destruction of democracy (Ben Hammou, 2025). Coups are allowing people to take power over entire countries and creating dictatorships that they can rule over, threatening the existence of democracy in those countries.
Works Cited
Ben Hammou, S. (2025, July 7). Coups in West Africa Have Five Things in Common: Knowing What They Are Is Key to Defending Democracy. https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/coups-west-africa-have-five-things-common-knowing-what-they-are-key-defending-democracy
Mali empire | history, rulers, downfall, map, & facts | britannica. (2025, October 11). https://www.britannica.com/place/Mali-historical-empire-Africa
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(2024, April 13). Understanding africa’s recent coups | gjia. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2024/04/13/understanding-africas-coups/
We are in an administrative coup. (n.d.). Choose Democracy. Retrieved October 27, 2025, from https://choosedemocracy.us/what-is-an-administrative-coup/
Williamson, M. D. and B. (n.d.). By the numbers: Coups in africa. Retrieved October 27, 2025, from https://projects.voanews.com/african-coups/
You did a great job breaking down the different types of coups and explaining how they impact democracy across Africa. I really appreciate how you supported your points with recent examples and credible sources — it makes your analysis both informative and engaging. This is a complex topic, but you presented it clearly and thoughtfully. Great read!”