Africa Experiences Coups in Four Countries This Year

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters held street demonstrations denouncing the military coup in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, Africa, on the 25th of last month (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Four countries in Africa have experienced coups d'?tat just this year. Considering that the average number of countries experiencing coups over the past decade was two per year, this represents a sharp increase recently.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 3rd (local time), military regimes have taken power this year in Guinea, Chad, Mali, and Sudan. There were also coup attempts in Madagascar, the Central African Republic, and Niger.

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres urged the UN Security Council to take action after a coup occurred in Sudan last month, stating that a "coup epidemic" is spreading.

The return of military rule in Sub-Saharan Africa marks the first time in 10 years since the "Arab Spring" in the Middle East. It is also the first time in 30 years since countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia ended military dictatorships and transitioned to democratic systems.

Jonathan Powell, Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida, commented on the recent situation in Africa, saying, "The frequency is the highest since 1980 and is similar to the period in the 1970s when military leaderships led independence movements."

The main cause of coups in Africa is a security crisis stemming from poor and corrupt governments failing to revive their economies. Recently, COVID-19 has also played a role. Hardline military leaders justify coups by citing corruption, incompetence, and poverty.

Diplomats and experts argue that the biggest reason for the consecutive coups in Africa is that major powers tend to compromise with authoritarian regimes, reducing the cost of regime change.

China, boasting the largest economic power in Africa, maintains a so-called "non-intervention" policy, while Russia, expanding its influence through the Kremlin-linked military company Wagner by supplying weapons and mercenaries, is also supporting the recently successful coup leader in the Central African Republic.

The Western side claims that Wagner is extending its reach to Mali, Libya, and Mozambique. France, the former colonial power of Mali, Chad, and Guinea, along with the United States and the European Union, are threatening to cut financial support to coup leaders.

Immediately after the Sudan coup, the Biden administration in the United States announced it would withdraw a $700 million (approximately 830 billion KRW) omnibus aid bill. The European Union (EU) strongly condemned the coup but took no concrete measures.

Virginie Bode, Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and an expert on the Sahara region, criticized, saying, "By not responding firmly and unitedly, countries have allowed military leaders to remain in power."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.