Coup D’état: List of African Nations Currently Under Military Rule
- The African continent is not democratic despite the advent of technology, social development and change in trends
- It is 2023, and Africa still has at least six prominent countries under military leadership
- The countries include The Republic of Chad, The Republic of Niger, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali
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The African continent and its history of coup d'état have been like a nut and its shell and are 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.
Source: Getty Images
Africa continues to suffer in keeping tabs on the Western World in the practice of democracy.
The civilian rule in Africa has been laced with corruption, nepotism, religious bigotry, and ethnocentrism.
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Below is a list of African countries currently under military rule.
1. Burkina Faso (since 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.
2. Chad (since 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.
3. Guinea (since 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.
4. Mali (since August 2020)
Mali became 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.
5. Niger (since 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.
6. Sudan (since 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.
7. Gabon (announced August 2023)
In the early hours of Wednesday, August 30, Army officers appeared on national television in Gabon, announcing they had taken power.
The announcement came shortly after Gabon’s election body reported that President Ali Bongo had won a third term in office.
“People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness," one of the military officers said.
It is yet to be known whether the coup was successful. According to Al Jazeera, the Gabon government has yet to react to the development.
Niger Coup: Mali, Burkina Faso dare Tinubu, ECOWAS over military intervention threat
In another development, the military coup plotters in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have allied against the ECOWAS over the recent coup d'état in the Republic of Niger.
The ECOWAS issued a 7-day ultimatum warning General Abdourahamane Tchiani to surrender power to President Mohamed Bazoum.
President Bazoum has reportedly been captured and placed in the custody of the country's military junta General Tchiani.
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