The resurgence of military coups across Africa is stirring deep concerns about the continent’s democratic stability, particularly in West Africa, where five countries have slipped under military control in just five years.
Analysts say the trend is being fuelled by sit-tight leaders who manipulate constitutions, silence opposition and govern with impunity. They argue that the pattern reflects growing public frustration with corruption, insecurity, contested elections and failing civilian administrations.
Regional blocs such as ECOWAS and the African Union have condemned the seizures of power, stressing that military rule undermines constitutional order.
Several affected states have been suspended, while sanctions have also been imposed in an attempt to deter further interventions. Yet, such actions have not deterred the coup plotters.
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“The resurgence of coups in the region speaks volumes of how the political class has not been able to manage democracies and civil rules in the region,” said Kunle Okunade, a political scientist.
The political scientist further noted that although the resurgence of coup and military rule is firmly rejected because it is anti-democratic and anti-development, it is imperative that West African leaders look inwardly to identify and find solutions to factors that could encourage coups.
Seven countries in Africa under military rule, five in West Africa
The last five years have seen an unprecedented wave of coups in West and Central Africa, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Gabon and most recently Guinea-Bissau. Even Benin, long seen as one of the region’s most stable democracies, recently survived an attempted coup.
Madagascar also fell to military rule earlier in 2025, joining Sudan, which has a long history of coups.
Analysts warn that the frequency of these incidents suggests a structural crisis rather than isolated power grabs.
Halimah Nuhu Sanda, political analyst, said when a region of 16 countries records six coups and coup attempts in five years, it is not the result of chance or individual ambition alone but a deeper structural fragility affecting governance, regional institutions, and social contract between governments and citizens.
Governance experts fear that repeated topplings of elected governments risk normalising military involvement in politics and weakening public trust in electoral processes.
“Each successful takeover sends a signal that the ballot box is no longer the sole path to leadership,” Sunday Udo, a political analyst, stated. He noted that the trend could encourage similar actions in fragile states.
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International partners, including the EU and UN, have also warned that prolonged military rule threatens democratic reforms, civil liberties and long-term development planning.
Paul Ejime, global affairs analyst, attributed the wave of coups to leaders who rule rather than lead. He said the abuse of power by elected governments has emboldened soldiers to seize authority. “Politicians act with impunity and suppress dissent using the military. Now, the military has decided it, too, can wield power,” he said.
Insecurity, bad governance major drivers of recent coups
Experts say insecurity and governance failures are at the heart of recent coups. Over the last decade, the Sahel has become one of the world’s most unstable regions, with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger losing vast territories to jihadists and criminal networks.
Military leaders often justify their interventions as necessary responses to spiralling violence, corruption and state failure. Governments unable to protect citizens from killings, extortion and displacement rapidly lose legitimacy, giving soldiers a pretext to strike.
Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Lagos State University (LASU) political science professor, said tenure elongation, hegemonic politics and insincerity in tackling insecurity have fuelled coups over the past decade. Citing the recent attempted coup in Benin, he noted that President Patrice Talon, despite being elected as an independent, has constricted political space.
“These are the contradictions exploitable by other social forces in society,” the scholar said.
French colonial legacy also blamed
Some analysts link the coup trend to the lingering influence of France in its former colonies. Wunmi Bewaji, lawyer and former lawmaker, argued that the colonial pact imposed at independence entrenched political, economic and military subjugation, fuelling resentment.
“Citizens of the former colonies cannot continue to live in abject poverty in spite of the natural resources on their land, which continue to be exploited and plundered by France,” he said.
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Way forward
For now, the region is divided between democratic states and military-controlled states, and the line separating them is becoming thinner.
Okunade is of the view that elected leaders must find a way to fight poverty and hardship, which many citizens in the continent are going through amid abundant resources.
He stressed that the elected leaders must remain democrats, accommodate dissents, and not shrink the political space.
“Give room for extensive political participation, allow opposition to thrive and fix the economy,” he said.
