Fragile states Why do military coups keep happening?

Weak institutions and jihadism are factors behind the frequent overthrow of governments in the region

- Emmanuel Akinwotu

Appearing on state television, military officers read from a statement, calmly announcing the takeover of the state. In the capital, crowds celebrate, cheering as the coup is roundly condemned outside their country.

It is a scene that has played out on multiple occasions in west Africa – in Mali in 2020 and again in August last year, in Guinea in September, and in Burkina Faso last month. Coups have also taken place to the east, in Chad and Sudan. At the start of the month, an attempted coup was thwarted in Guinea-Bissau.

At an urgent Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) summit of west African leaders, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, reflected the alarm in regional capitals. “Emerging threats in our region … stem from the military’s interference in Mali and its contagious influence in Guinea and Burkina Faso,” he said.

Ecowas did not immediately adopt sanctions against Burkina Faso, as it did after the coups in Mali. Its lack of opposition to controversial constitutional changes and democratic failings has fuelled questions about its effectiveness at supporting democracies and preventing coups.

In Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Guinea, military officers aged between 38 and 41 took control of power from ageing, democratically elected leaders. While the specific contexts differ in each country, major challenges facing the some countries in the region have come into focus.