NAIROBI, Kenya– Africa woke up Sunday to news of yet another attempted military takeover—this time in Benin—after a group of soldiers claimed to have removed President Patrice Talon from power. His team insists he is safe, and loyalist forces are said to be restoring control.
The incident adds a fresh entry to a rapidly expanding list of coups across the continent, marking one of the most turbulent five-year stretches in Africa’s modern political history.
Mali to Sudan: A Region Caught in Cycles of Military Rule
Mali kicked off the wave in August 2020 when five army colonels pushed out President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. A second takeover followed in May 2021, elevating Colonel Assimi Goïta to transitional president.
Although elections were initially promised for February 2024, Mali’s junta postponed them indefinitely, often citing escalating jihadist threats.
By July 2025, Goïta approved a law giving himself a renewable five-year presidential mandate—without an election. Months later, jihadist groups launched a fuel blockade that further weakened the government.
Guinea experienced its own upheaval in September 2021 when troops led by then-lieutenant-colonel Mamady Doumbouya removed President Alpha Condé. Four years later, Doumbouya formally submitted his candidacy for elections set for December 28, 2025, part of a transition meant to restore constitutional order.
Sudan’s crisis deepened in October 2021 when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a coup against a fragile civilian–military partnership. By April 2023, Sudan descended into a ruinous war between Burhan’s forces and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. The conflict has since created one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies.
The Sahel and Central Africa: A Power Realignment
Burkina Faso endured two coups in 2022—first in January when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, then in September when Captain Ibrahim Traoré removed Damiba and assumed leadership. Elections promised by the junta have not materialised, and in May 2024 Traoré extended his stay by another five years as extremist violence surged.
Niger followed in July 2023 when General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the presidential guard, toppled President Mohamed Bazoum. By early 2025, the junta announced that its transitional rule would extend for at least five more years.
In Central Africa, Gabon’s long-ruling Bongo dynasty fell in August 2023—barely an hour after Ali Bongo was declared election winner in a process widely disputed by the opposition.
General Brice Oligui Nguema took control, later transitioning to elected president in April 2025 with 94.85 pc of the vote, under a new constitution approved during the military-led transition.
Indian Ocean and West African Coast: New Entrants to the Coup Era
Madagascar joined the list in October 2025 when the military removed President Andry Rajoelina amid weeks of “Gen Z” anti-government protests. Colonel Michael Randrianirina took power and pledged fresh elections within 18 to 24 months.
Weeks later, Guinea-Bissau became the latest nation to fall under military command. In November 2025, army officers declared “total control” of the country, sealed borders, and halted the electoral process just three days after general elections.
A command structure integrating all branches of the armed forces now governs the state indefinitely.
A Continent Still Searching for Stability
Benin’s attempted coup only reinforces a troubling pattern: the resurgence of military rule across Africa, driven by contested elections, security crises, and weakening democratic institutions.
As West, Central, and Sahelian nations grapple with overlapping political and security pressures, one reality is clear—the continent’s democratic gains remain under strain, and the ripple effects will be felt for years to come.
