On Wednesday, President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger was being held by his presidential guards inside his palace in the nation’s capital Niamey, in what the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are calling an attempted coup.
It is the sixth coup or attempted takeover of power in West and Central Africa in less than three years. Despite efforts over the past 10 years to lose its name as the “coup belt,” the area has struggled with ongoing insecurity and corruption, which has allowed military commanders to gain control.
Below is a list of recent successful coups:
BURKINA FASO
In January 2022, the army of Burkina Faso overthrew President Roch Kabore, accusing him of failing to stop the bloodshed of terrorists.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, the leader of the coup, promised to restore security, but as attacks increased and military morale deteriorated, a second coup—led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, the current head of the junta—took place in September after a mutiny.
MALI
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown in August 2020 by a gang of Malian colonels under the command of Assimi Goita. The coup came after anti-government demonstrations about deteriorating security, contentious elections for the legislature, and corruption charges.
The junta bowed to pressure from Mali’s West African neighbors and decided to hand over control to an interim administration led by civilians, tasked with guiding an 18-month transition to free and fair elections in February 2022.
However, the leaders of the coup fought with the acting president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, and staged another coup in May 2021. Goita, who had been acting vice president in the meantime, was given the presidency.
After the military government in Mali announced a two-year transition to democracy and released a new electoral legislation, ECOWAS partially withdrew its sanctions against the country. To reestablish constitutional government, the nation will hold presidential elections in February 2024.
CHAD
After President Idriss Deby was killed in combat while visiting forces engaged in fighting insurgents in the north, the army of Chad seized control in April 2021.
The president should have been the speaker of the parliament according to Chadian legislation. But in order to maintain stability, a military council intervened and called for the dissolution of the legislature.
General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby’s son, was appointed temporary president and given responsibility for leading an 18-month transition to elections.
The unlawful transfer of power sparked rioting in N’Djamena, the country’s capital, which the military eventually put down.
GUINEA
After President Idriss Deby was killed in combat while visiting forces engaged in fighting insurgents in the north, the army of Chad seized control in April 2021.
The president should have been the speaker of the parliament according to Chadian legislation. But in order to maintain stability, a military council intervened and called for the dissolution of the legislature.
General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby’s son, was appointed temporary president and given responsibility for leading an 18-month transition to elections.
The unlawful transfer of power sparked rioting in N’Djamena, the country’s capital, which the military eventually put down.
Meanwhile, the Niger coup plotters have rejected ECOWAS’ call against military intervention, saying, “We want to once more remind ECOWAS or any other adventurer of our firm determination to defend our homeland.”
ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held an extraordinary meeting on Sunday at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, to discuss the next line of action on the developments in Niger Republic.
