Explaining Military Coups D'Etat: Black Africa, 1957-1984

American Journal of Sociology, 1993

Why has postcolonial Africa been so vulnerable to military coups? Examination of the different types of military interventions (plots, attempts, and successful seizures) and comparison of the immediate independence period with the 1970s show the major sources of coups to be ethnic antagonisms stemming from cultural plurality and political competition, and the presence of strong militaries with factionalized officer corps. There is no evidence for a political "overload" due to rising mass participation, but politically factionalized regimes were more vulnerable to coups. During the 1970s, export dependence created political turmoil, which led to plotting, but foreign capital penetration, by strengthening states, deterred coups. Military coups are largely driven by elite rivalries inside the military and the civilian government. Stable civilian rule would require an elite pact to regulate political competition within multiethnic states.

This paper examined the political undercurrents of the re-emergence of military intervention in African politics. The objective of this paper is to ascertain the theoretical and empirical connection of this emerging phenomenon. Situated within the context of political modernization philosophy, we posit that the military appropriated its central command structure, differentiation, and specialization as well as popular identification in diverse ways as part of their strategies to control political power. Empirically, we draw mainly on textual data collected through remote research methods such as desk research and distant observation. The analysis is informed by the emerging political analysis of recent military coup d'état epidemics across Africa-Chad, Sudan, Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. The main focus of our analysis is the supposition that, Africa's emerging democracy is under threat to fluff and flounder. This paper argues that stakeholders in a democracy need to act proactively to structurally address the putative democratic deficits that are eroding the dividends of democracy and its cardinal principles in Africa.

Jurnal Politik indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Politics), 2024

Since the late 1980s, with no choice, there has been a strong wave of democracy and democratization in the continent with most of African countries beginning to move away from one-party or military dictatorships to multiparty democratic rule. There have been coup d'états on the African continent since the 1960s. However, the aim of this research is to examine the recent resurgence and growth of coups which is contrary to the consolidation and stability of democracy in Africa. It seeks to present the main trajectory of military coup d' etats in sub-Saharan Africa focusing on its implication to democratic stability in the region. To achieve this, researchers engage a qualitative research method with in-depth assessment of coups and their impact on the growth in sub-Saharan Africa. The results of this research show that recent military takeovers have brought attention to a troubling trend in African politics: a rise in the use of unconstitutional methods to change governments. Military coups are to certain extent direct responses to citizens' complaints considering bad governance, deteriorating citizens' living conditions, and rising levels of insecurity. This research, therefore, concludes that military coups expose sub-Saharan African to human rights violations. Due to these unpleasant conditions of sub-Saharan polity, men in uniform align to the view that it is through coups that they can oust out this civilian governments that have mutilated constitutions to allow them to rule their countries without term limit.

West Africa And The Recurrence Of Coups, 2022

Following the attainment of independence by African States, fostering intra-continental trade, regional unity and cooperation became a common aim of these infant States. The main motive of regional integration in West Africa was pinned at enhancing collective security, promoting trade and protecting the sovereignty of member States collectively. In light of the treaty of ECOWAS, the bloc was formulated on the need to encourage, foster and accelerate socioeconomic develop of all members affiliated to the organization in order to improve the living standard of nationalities member to the regional bloc. Basing on a similar premise, the ECOWAS was formulated as a common pool for collectively addressing political, social and economic challenges of the day and those to emerge in the future. The post-colonial Africa witnessed relaxation of trade tariffs, in favor of regional trade liberalization amongst Western African States. It is however, tragic to apprehend that owing to illicit governance, characterized by monopolization of power and unfair allocation of resources, the region has seen a surge in unprecedented usurpation of power, having states such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria recording well over seven coups each between 1950 and 2022. Illustrating the dearth of coups and the region, the West African region has been home to over twenty coups both successful and failed since 2010. Basing on interdependence theory, the researcher used mixed methods to assess the causes and impacts of unconstitutional change of government in the region placing significant focus on Mali. In order to account for the recurrence of coups, the research used documentary search to establish the coup-proofing mechanism in the region as well as assess the utility of such means. The research established that, interference by former colonial masters, military centrality, inept governance, grave poverty and high unemployment, and intensified activities of terrorists (in the case of Mali, the Taureg rebels) are some of major causes of coups in the region. The research has established that though there is existence of legal frameworks that champions coup-proofing mechanisms such as economic sanctions, name and shaming, suspension of the noncompliant member state amongst an array of other, such techniques have failed to deter the conspirators. Hence the research proffered pro-democratization recommendations to address social injustices which are the root causes of unconstitutional change of government in the region.

Tweheyo, Charles, 2023

As regional integration is claiming a lion’s share on the continent’s political and economic development agenda in Africa, old challenges are exacerbating the democratic deficiencies. While the continent is striving to locate its position in the post-colonial global development, military coups are generating new pressure on constitutionalism and democratic governance in Africa. This paper’s shares a perspective on the escalation of military coups in West Africa. It points out several reasons categorised into two; intrastate inefficiencies and external difficulties. In the intrastate reasons, the paper explains how societal economic difficulties, class conflicts, military mismanagement, limited military professionalism fuel military coups and in the external relations, the paper explores the role of weakness of regional organs that avail an ideal condition for the escalation of unconstitutional regime changes.

2024

Three fragile countries in West Africa; Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso succumbed to instability and experienced military takeovers out of the 15 Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS) member states, these countries have since experienced a resurgence of coups and the overthrow of democratically elected leaders for one reason or the other. The general objective of this study is to review the remote and immediate causes of these military interventions and its implications for democratic consolidation in the West African sub-region. Qualitatively driven with reliance on the secondary sources of data, it employed content analysis to examine the diverse issues raised in the study. The study discovered that these coups was preceded by months of nonviolent protests arising from poor governance, challenges of insecurity, utter disregard for the rule of law, endemic poverty, rising unemployment amongst the youths of these countries, pervasive corruption among others. The study recommended among other things; that engendering good governance, respect for constitutional order and rule of law, development of infrastructure and a genuine attempt at building virile and strong institutions are the most sustainable way of keeping the military confined to the barracks.

Journal of Peace Research

Does ethnic inequality breed coups? The recent literature on civil war shows both that inequality between ethnic groups induces war and, importantly, that civil wars and coups, although fundamentally different, are related. The literature on coups d’état, however, has yet to theorize and test the effect of ethnic inequality on coups. The link is plausible because many coups are ‘ethnic coups’, which depend on the capacity of plotters to mobilize their co-ethnics. We argue that large income and wealth disparities between ethnic groups accompanied by within-group homogeneity increase the salience of ethnicity and solidify within-group preferences vis-à-vis the preferences of other ethnic groups, increasing the appeal and feasibility of a coup. We use group-level data for 32 sub-Saharan African countries and 141 ethnic groups between 1960 and 2005 and provide the first large-N test to date of the effect of ethnic inequality on coups. Between- and within-group inequality measures are co...

2024

This study examines the resurgence of military coup d'état in the African Union. Over the past three years, there has been a wave of military coups d'état in Africa's Sahel region, from Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean to Sudan on the Red Sea. Two of these coups have occurred in Mali and Burkina Faso, others have occurred in Guinea, Sudan, Niger and Gabon. Putschists have cited corruption, weak governance, economic mismanagement, dissatisfaction with government's handling of insurgency and violent extremism as reasons for political change. These factors are not peculiar to these countries alone but are challenges inherent in African States. This trend has increased concerns in the African Union that these coups could have contagion effect on other countries. The method of Data collection and analysis was built on qualitative descriptive approach, sourcing data from secondary sources. The study also explored the conflict and contagion theory in explaining the problem investigated. The paper concludes that the rise of military coup in the African Union is a threat to the organization and the stability of the African continent, the changing dynamics of these coups suggests that the demonstration effects of "successful" coups in the region may increase the likelihood of further coups. The study therefore recommends that issues of leadership, governance, respect for the rule of law and security must be addressed for democracy to thrive in the African Union.

Democratization, 2017