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Introduction

For many African countries, coups are not a relic of Cold War-era politics, but a recurring feature of modern governance. Even Ghana, today praised as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, emerged from the turbulence of coup-era politics only in the early 1990s. The last successful coup in Ghana occurred in 1981. However, the country entered the 1990s still under military rule, governed by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) until the 1992 Constitution restored democratic order. Ghana’s transition was part of a broader continental shift in the 1990s, as several African states attempted to move from military regimes or authoritarian systems into multi-party democracies.

Yet this period of hope did not mark the end of political instability. Across Africa, the 1990s and early 2000s were marked by frequent coups, attempted coups, and constitutional manipulations. While the wave briefly subsided in the 2010s, the continent is again experiencing a sharp resurgence. 

Against this backdrop, misinformation about coups has also increased. Rumoured takeovers, misreported mutinies, and politically motivated “alerts” often circulate before facts are confirmed. 

This explainer therefore compiles a verified, chronologically organised record of coups, attempted coups, and constitutional power seizures in Africa from 1990 to 2025, providing context, outcomes, and stated reasons, supported entirely by documented sources.

It ensures that discussions about Africa’s current instability are grounded in fact rather than speculation.

Coups and Seizures of Power in Africa (1990–2025)

Since 2020, at least seven coups have occurred in the Sahel and West Africa alone. These often follow disputed elections, constitutional upheavals, or security crises.

Below is a chronological table of documented coups and attempted coups (military and civilian) in Africa from 1990 to 2025, including their outcomes and stated reasons. 

Date	Country	Status	Stated Reason
Dec 7, 2025	Benin	Failed	Soldiers cited “deteriorating security situation in northern Benin” and neglect of troops killed in the line of duty. The plot was quickly suppressed.
Nov 26, 2025	Guinea-Bissau	Success	Army officers ousted President Embaló on the eve of elections. The coup leaders claimed they acted over a “destabilisation plan” and alleged attempts to rig the vote.
Sep 5, 2021	Guinea	Success	Special forces led by Col. Mamady Doumbouya deposed President Alpha Condé. They blamed “poverty and endemic corruption” for the coup. (Condé had just changed the constitution to run for a third term.)
Jan 23–24, 2022	Burkina Faso	Success	President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was overthrown. Soldiers complained of insufficient support against jihadists, demanding better resources and leadership.
Sept 30, 2022	Burkina Faso	Success	Capt. Ibrahim Traoré ousted Lt. Col. Damiba. He cited Damiba’s failure to curb Islamist insurgents (i.e., worsening security situation).
Oct 30, 2014	Burkina Faso	Success	President Blaise Compaoré was toppled after mass protests. Demonstrators opposed Compaoré’s attempt to scrap term limits via a constitutional amendment.
Sept 17, 2015	Burkina Faso	Failed	An attempted coup by Compaoré loyalists (led by Gen. Diendéré) tried to block the transitional government. Plotters cited the exclusion of Compaoré’s allies from power as justification.
Aug 18, 2005	Mauritania	Success	President Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya was deposed by the army. The military said it seized power to “end Taya’s regime”.
Aug 6, 2008	Mauritania	Success	Col. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz led presidential guards to oust President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi after the president had fired senior officers. Soldiers cited Abdallahi’s “political crisis” and claimed he had overstepped by replacing top generals.
May 1, 2013	Chad	Failed	President Idriss Déby’s regime announced it foiled a coup by disgruntled officers. Authorities said conspirators sought to “destabilise” the state, though the plot collapsed under government action.
Jan 9, 2025	Chad	Failed	An armed group briefly stormed the presidential palace during Gen. Mahamat Déby’s rule. Security forces repelled the attackers; the government described it as an “attempt to destabilise.”
Mar 22, 2012	Mali	Success	Mutinying soldiers arrested President Amadou Toumani Touré. The army cited Toumani’s inability to stop the northern Tuareg/Islamist uprising (they had asked him to resign over the crisis).
Aug 18, 2020	Mali	Success	After weeks of anti-government protests, mutinous soldiers detained President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta. Keïta resigned the next day under pressure, amid widespread unrest over corruption and worsening jihadist violence.
May 24, 2021	Mali	Success	Vice President Col. Assimi Goïta’s faction detained interim President Bah N’Daw and PM Moctar Ouane. The military claimed the civilian leaders’ cabinet reshuffle (removing army figures) threatened national security.
Feb 18, 2010	Niger	Success	Gen. Salou Djibo overthrew President Mamadou Tandja. Tandja had just altered the constitution to extend his 2nd term by three years, triggering the coup.
July 26, 2023	Niger	Success	Presidential Guard Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The coup statement cited the “deteriorating security situation and bad governance.” This was Niger’s first coup in 31 years.
Dec 24, 1999	Ivory Coast	Success	Gen. Robert Guéï seized power from President Henri Konan Bédié. The coup began as a military mutiny over unpaid bonuses but culminated in the overthrow of Bédié’s government.
Sept 19, 2002	Ivory Coast	Failed	A rebellion by northern soldiers (later known as the “Ivorian Civil War”) sought to oust President Laurent Gbagbo. The coup failed but ignited a decade-long conflict. The mutineers complained of discrimination and exclusion from power.
June 12, 2012	Ivory Coast	Failed	Authorities uncovered a coup plot by ex-military officers loyal to ex-President Gbagbo. Plotters planned to dissolve institutions and seize media outlets; the arrest of leaders like Col. Gnotua foiled the plot (aimed at reinstating Gbagbo).
Mar 15, 2003	Central African Republic	Success	Gen. François Bozizé led his “Liberators” in a coup that ousted President Ange-Félix Patassé. Bozizé’s forces had campaigned on ending Patassé’s authoritarian rule.
Mar 24, 2013	Central African Republic	Success	The Seleka rebel coalition, led by Michel Djotodia, overthrew President François Bozizé. Seleka accused Bozizé of reneging on peace deals and failing to govern fairly.
Jan 2021	Central African Republic	Failed	Forces loyal to ex-President Bozizé attempted a coup while he was barred from politics. The government reported that Bozizé plotted with armed groups to seize power after being disqualified from elections.
Apr 11, 2019	Sudan	Success	Armed Forces deposed President Omar al-Bashir after 16 weeks of mass protests. The military announced a two-year transitional council, citing the need to stabilise the country amid unrest.
Oct 25, 2021	Sudan	Success	Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army dissolved the civilian-led transition. The military said it needed to protect “safety and security,” though opponents denounced it as an unconstitutional takeover.
Nov 21, 2017	Zimbabwe	Success	The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (led by Gen. Chiwenga) intervened to force President Robert Mugabe’s resignation. Mugabe was accused by the army and his party of economic mismanagement and of favoring a rival faction (his wife’s G40) over veteran war heroes.
2021	Ghana	Failed	Six Ghanaians, including three soldiers, were sentenced to death by hanging in 2024 for their involvement in an alleged coup plot in 2021. The group had planned to organise protests, ostensibly to topple former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government ahead of the 2020 general elections. It is the first treason trial in Ghana since 1963, when the first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown. Ghana last executed a criminal under the death penalty in 1992 when it returned to constitutional rule.

From available data, it is clear that coups, both successful and thwarted, have recurred across Africa in recent decades. Many cite similar themes: leaders clashing with the military, contested elections or constitutional changes, and security crises (especially jihadist insurgencies) as pretexts for seizures of power. For example, in the Sahel since 2020, failures to control insurgencies have been cited as coup causes. 

Warning signs

Security analyst Richard Kumadoe, speaking to DUBAWA, says the indicators of imminent instability “are boldly written on the wall,” and the eventual outcome should not surprise close observers of governance and security trends within the ECOWAS bloc.

Leadership failures and governance cracks

According to Kumadoe, Benin’s crisis this week did not emerge spontaneously. Instead, it stemmed from conditions that have become increasingly common across West Africa: bad political leadership, poor governance choices, and actions by frontline politicians that directly threaten national stability.

“These were the critical signs,” he noted. “When politicians become a threat against national security, their decisions can be treacherous enough to destabilise the state.”

Kumadoe explains that Africa’s political climate had been deteriorating long before any takeover, marked by widening divisions, unpopular centralised control, and unresolved grievances. “For those of us who watch the security space and monitor national security strategy, we were not surprised,” he said.

Conclusion

Across Africa, the 1990s and early 2000s were marked by frequent coups, attempted coups, and constitutional manipulations. Some were triggered by disputed elections, others by economic collapse, rebel insurgencies, or militaries claiming to “restore order.” While the wave briefly subsided in the 2010s, the continent is again experiencing a sharp resurgence.