Coup Belt Explained

Coup Belt
Settlement Type:	Geopolitical concept
Subdivision Type:	Continent
Subdivision Name:	Africa
Subdivision Type1:	Subregion
Subdivision Name1:	Sahel, West Africa and Central Africa
Subdivision Type2:	Countries

The Coup Belt (French: la ceinture de coups d'État^[1]) is a modern geopolitical concept and neologism which emerged during the 2020s to describe the region of West Africa, Central Africa and the Sahel that is home to countries with a high prevalence of coups d'état.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} After the 2023 Nigerien coup, these countries formed a continuous chain stretching between the east and west coasts of Africa.

Overview

Origin

Although likely older,^{[6] [7]} the term became popular in the 2020s after a string of coups in the early part of the decade, including in Mali in 2020 and 2021,^[8] Chad,^[9] Guinea,^[10] and Sudan^[11] in 2021, two in Burkina Faso in January and September 2022,^{[12] [13]} and in Niger and Gabon in 2023.^{[14] [15]} The region also saw attempted coups in Niger and Sudan in 2021, Guinea–Bissau and The Gambia in 2022, and Sudan, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso in 2023.

History

Since 1990, 21 of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have taken place in former French colonies. This has led some to question whether French influence in Africa has a destabilising impact.^[16]

The military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger cancelled military agreements that allowed for French troops to operate on their territory, and in the case of Mali, removed French as an official language.^{[17] [18] [19] [20]}

ECOWAS has tried to actively work on changing this label that is associated with the region, although unsuccessfully; they suspended Mali after their coup in 2021,^[21] and also suspended Guinea on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country.^{[22] [23]}

Looking at the subregion of West Africa alone, it should also be noted that the 2020 coup d'état in Mali occurred after a period of nearly six years, since the 2014 Burkina Faso upprising and the ousting of Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaoré, during which there was not a single undemocratic change of government in West Africa.^[24] For this subregion, where many countries have a history of civil war and violent conflict, this was a period of remarkable stability, during which ECOWAS even managed to find a peaceful resolution to the 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis.

The coups have largely been similar in nature; most came from dissatisfied militaries who criticised their respective government's handling of Islamic insurgents or protests since 2003. The incoming juntas also tend to have worse relations with the West, with many seeking support from either Russia and the Wagner Group or Turkey instead of France, who helped the countries fight against Islamic insurgents through Operation Barkhane.

The 2023 Gabonese coup d'état was somewhat different, as Gabon was ruled for 56 years by the Bongo family before the coup, is not near or part of the Sahel, and did not suffer from Islamist or separatist insurgencies. However, the military coup occurred in the context of widespread protests over the conduct of the 2023 Gabonese general election, and led to the establishment of a presidential republic under a military junta.^[25]

List of coups d'état in the Coup Belt

!Date!Country!Event!Head of state
or government!Coup leader(s)!Outcome

	Sudan	1957 Sudanese coup attempt	Abdallah Khalil	Abdel Rahman Ismail Kabeida
		1959 Sudanese coup attempt	Ibrahim Abboud
		1963 Togolese coup d'état	Sylvanus Olympio
		1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état	Hubert Maga	Christophe Soglo
		1964 Gabonese coup d'état	Léon M'ba
– 1 January 1966		Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état	David Dacko	Jean-Bédel Bokassa
		1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état		Sangoulé Lamizana
		1966 Nigerian coup d'état	Nnamdi Azikiwe
		1966 Ghanaian coup d'état		Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka
		1966 Nigerian counter-coup	Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi	Murtala Muhammed
		1967 Togolese coup d'état	Nicolas Grunitzky	Étienne Eyadéma
		First 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état	Siaka Stevens	David Lansana
		Second 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état	David Lansana	Andrew Juxon-Smith
18 April 1968		Sergeants' Coup	Andrew Juxon-Smith	John Amadu Bangura Siaka Stevens
		1968 Malian coup d'état	Modibo Keïta	Moussa Traoré
	Sudan	1969 Sudanese coup d'état	Ismail al-Azhari	Jaafar Nimeiry
24 March 1971		1971 Sierra Leone coup attempt	Siaka Stevens	John Amadu Bangura
–22 July 1971		1971 Sudanese coup d'état	Jaafar Nimeiry	Hashem al Atta
		1972 Ghanaian coup d'état	Kofi Abrefa Busia	Ignatius Kutu Acheampong
		1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état	Presidential Council	Mathieu Kérékou
		1974 Nigerien coup d'état	Hamani Diori	Seyni Kountché
–15 April 1975		1975 Chadian coup d'état	N’Garta Tombalbaye	Noël Milarew Odingar Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
		1975 Nigerian coup d'état	Yakubu Gowon	Joseph Nanven Garba Murtala Muhammed
		1976 Nigerian coup attempt	Murtala Muhammed	Buka Suka Dimka
–5 July 1976		1976 Sudanese coup attempt	Jaafar Nimeiry	Sadiq al-Mahdi Muhammad Nour Saad
		1977 Benin coup attempt	Mathieu Kérékou	Bob Denard
		1978 Mauritanian coup d'état	Moktar Ould Daddah	Mustafa Ould Salek
		1979 Mauritanian coup d'état	Mustafa Ould Salek
		Operation Caban	Bokassa I	David Dacko
		1980 Liberian coup d'état	William Tolbert	Samuel Doe
		1980 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état	Luís Cabral	João Bernardo Vieira
		1980 Upper Volta coup d'état	Sangoulé Lamizana	Saye Zerbo
		1981 Mauritanian coup attempt	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla	Ahmed Salim Ould Sidi
– 4 August 1981		1981 Gambian coup attempt	Dawda Jawara	Kukoi Sanyang
		1981 Central African Republic coup d'état	David Dacko	André Kolingba
		1981 Ghanaian coup d'état	Hilla Limann	Jerry Rawlings
		1982 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt	André Kolingba	Ange-Félix Patassé
		1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état	Say Zerbo	Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
		1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état attempt	Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo	Saye Zerbo
		1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état		Thomas Sankara
		1983 Nigerian coup d'état	Shehu Shagari	Muhammadu Buhari
		1984 Guinean coup d'état	Louis Lansana Beavogui	Lansana Conté
		1984 Cameroonian coup attempt	Paul Biya
		1984 Mauritanian coup d'état	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
		1985 Sudanese coup d'état	Jaafar Nimeiry	Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab
		1985 Nigerian coup d'état	Muhammadu Buhari	Ibrahim Babangida
		1985 Liberian coup d'état attempt	Samuel Doe	Thomas Quiwonkpa
		1986 Togolese coup attempt	Gnassingbé Eyadéma
		1987 Sierra Leonean coup d'état attempt	Joseph Saidu Momoh	Francis Minah
		1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état	Thomas Sankara	Blaise Compaoré
		1989 Sudanese coup d'état	Ahmed al-Mirghani	Omar al-Bashir
		1989 Burkina Faso coup attempt	Blaise Compaoré
		1990 Nigerian coup attempt	Ibrahim Babangida	Gideon Orkar
	Chad	1990 Chadian coup d'état	Hissène Habré	Idriss Déby
		1991 Malian coup d'état	Moussa Traoré	Amadou Toumani Touré
		1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état	Joseph Saidu Momoh	Valentine Strasser
		1993 Nigerian coup d'état	Ernest Shonekan	Sani Abacha
		1994 Gambian coup d'état	Dawda Jawara	Yahya Jammeh
		1996 Nigerien coup d'état	Mahamane Ousmane	Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
		1999 Nigerien coup d'état	Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara	Daouda Malam Wanké
		1999 Ivorian coup d'état	Henri Konan Bédié	Tuo Fozié
		2003 Central African Republic coup d'état	Ange-Félix Patassé	François Bozizé
–9 June 2003		2003 Mauritanian coup attempt	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya	Saleh Ould Hanenna
		2003 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état	Kumba Ialá	Veríssimo Correia Seabra
		2003 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt	Blaise Compaoré	Luther Diapagri Oualy
		2004 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby	Bechir Haggar
	Togo	2005 Togolese coup d'état	Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba
		2005 Mauritanian coup d'état	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
		2006 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby
		2008 Mauritanian coup d'état	Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
		2008 Guinean coup d'état	Aboubacar Somparé	Moussa Dadis Camara
		2010 Nigerien coup d'état	Mamadou Tandja	Salou Djibo
		2011 Nigerien coup d'état attempt	Mahamadou Issoufou
		2012 Malian coup d'état		Amadou Sanogo
–24 March 2013		Battle of Bangui (2013)	François Bozizé	Michel Djotodia
		2013 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby	Moussa Tao Mahamat
		2014 Burkina Faso uprising	Blaise Compaoré
		2014 Gambian coup attempt	Yahya Jammeh	Lamin Sanneh
		2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt	Michel Kafando	Gilbert Diendéré
		2019 Gabonese coup attempt	Ali Bongo Ondimba	Kelly Ondo Obiang
	Sudan	2019 Sudanese coup d'état	Omar al-Bashir
		2020 Malian coup d'état	Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
		2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt	Mohamed Bazoum	Sani Saley Gourouza
		Death of Idriss Déby	Vacant	Mahamat Déby
		2021 Malian coup d'état	Bah Ndaw	Assimi Goïta
		2021 Guinean coup d'état	Alpha Condé	Mamady Doumbouya
	Sudan	2021 Sudanese coup d'état	Abdalla Hamdok
		January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état	Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
				Ibrahim Traoré
	Sudan	War in Sudan (2023–present)	Abdel Fattah al-Burhan	Hemedti	^[26] ^[27] ^[28]
		2023 Nigerien coup d'état
		2023 Sierra Leone coup plot		Mohammed Yetey Turay
		2023 Gabonese coup d'état	Ali Bongo Ondimba	Brice Oligui
		2023 Burkina Faso coup attempt	Ibrahim Traoré
		2023 Sierra Leone coup attempt	Julius Maada Bio	Dissident military officers, unidentified militants and prisoners
		2023 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état attempt	Umaro Sissoco Embaló	Victor Tchongo
		2024 Democratic Republic of the Congo coup attempt	Félix Tshisekedi	Christian Malanga

Notes and References

1. News: Guibal . Claude . August 15, 2023 . Niger : en Afrique, la ceinture des coups d'État redessine la carte du continent . France Info . August 16, 2023.
2. News: Guinea Joins the African Club of the "Coup Belt". BL News. 7 September 2021. Mekki Elmograbi.
3. Web site: Towards a Better Understanding of the Underlying Conditions of Coups in Africa. Muhammad Dan. Suleiman. e-ir.info.com. September 24, 2021. 13 September 2023.
4. Web site: Africa's 'coup belt' facing further upheaval. February 2, 2022. Arab News.
5. Web site: West African leaders plan peacekeeping force to counter 'coup belt' reputation. Felix. Onuah. 5 December 2022. Reuters. 13 September 2023.
6. News: 2023-07-27 . Explainer: Niger a linchpin for stability in Africa's 'coup belt' . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-09-02 . 0261-3077.
7. Web site: Dyer . Gwynne . 2022-02-07 . Opinion: The return of Africa's military 'Coup Belt' . 2023-09-02 . Bangor Daily News . en-US.
8. Web site: After Two Coups, Mali Needs Regional Support to Bolster Democracy . 2023-07-28 . United States Institute of Peace . en.
9. News: Walsh . Declan . 2023-07-29 . Coast to Coast, a Corridor of Coups Brings Turmoil in Africa . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-07-30 . 0362-4331.
10. Web site: Why a coup in Guinea was felt around the world . 2021-12-16 . 2023-07-28 . CNBC. Timothyna Afua. Duncan . en.
11. Web site: Sudan's Coup: One Year Later . 2023-07-28 . Council on Foreign Relations . en.
12. News: 2022-10-03 . A timeline of the coup in Burkina Faso since January 2022 . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-07-28 . 0971-751X.
13. Web site: Burkina Faso's coup and political situation: All you need to know . 2023-07-28 . Al Jazeera. 5 October 2022 . en.
14. Web site: 26 July 2023 . Niger's Bazoum 'held by guards' in apparent coup attempt . 27 July 2023 . Al Jazeera . en-US . 27 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230727002123/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/26/soldiers-holding-niger-president-inside-palace-security-sources . live .
15. Web site: Dixon . Gary . 2023-08-30 . Gabon closes shipping down after post-election coup . 2023-08-30 . TradeWinds . en . 30 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230830192405/https://www.tradewindsnews.com/tankers/gabon-closes-shipping-down-after-post-election-coup/2-1-1508612?zephr_sso_ott=SN87bK . live .
16. Web site: 2023-08-06 . Niger coup: Is France to blame for coups in West Africa? . 2023-08-06 . BBC News. Leonard. Mbulle-Nziege. Nic. Cheeseman . en-GB.
17. News: Ndiaga . Thiam . 2023-02-20 . Burkina Faso marks official end of French military operations on its soil . en . Reuters . 2023-08-06.
18. Web site: Last French troops leave Mali, ending nine-year deployment . 13 September 2023 . Al Jazeera. 16 August 2023. en.
19. News: Avi-Yonah . Shera . 2023-08-04 . Mali demotes French, language of its former colonizer, in symbolic move . en-US . The Washington Post . 2023-08-06 . 0190-8286.
20. News: France to close Niger embassy after row with military junta . 2023-12-22 . BBC . 22 December 2023 . en.
21. News: ECOWAS suspends Mali over second coup in nine months. Al Jazeera. 31 May 2021. 12 September 2021.
22. News: Saliou. Samb. Camillus. Eboh. Cooper. Inveen. Timothy. Heritage. Steve. Orlofsky. Richard. Pullin. West African leaders due in Guinea as post-coup calm pervades Conakry. September 9, 2021. Reuters. September 9, 2021. registration.
23. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58487925 "West African leaders suspend Guinea from Ecowas following coup,"
24. Web site: Ecowas' dilemma: Balancing principles and pragmatism - The Nordic Africa Institute NAI Policy Note 2024:1 . 2024-04-11 . nai.uu.se . en.
25. Web site: Obangome . Gerauds Wilfried . Gabonese military officers announce on television they have seized power . Reuters . 30 August 2023 . 30 August 2023.
26. Chotiner . Isaac . 2023-04-20 . The Failed "Coup-Proofing" Behind the Recent Violence in Sudan . 2024-01-30 . The New Yorker . en-US . 0028-792X.
27. Web site: Picheta . Nima Elbagir,Jessie Yeung,Rob . 2023-04-17 . Sudan military leader accuses rival of 'attempted coup' as vicious fighting grips capital . 2024-01-30 . CNN . en.
28. Web site: 2023-07-17 . Sudan's Junta Chief Survived the Coup, but Can He Win the War? . 2024-01-30 . Political Violence at a Glance . en-US.