A military coup attempt in Benin on Sunday has added to a growing list of similar incidents across Africa. A group of soldiers announced they had ousted President Patrice Talon, although his entourage insisted he was safe and that the army was regaining control.
Mali
Mali has experienced two coups in recent years. In August 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by five army colonels. The military struck again in May 2021, removing civilian leaders of the interim government. Colonel Assimi Goita, who played a central role in both takeovers, was sworn in as transitional president. After initially promising elections in February 2024, the military postponed the vote indefinitely, citing jihadist violence. In July 2025, Goita approved a law granting himself a five-year presidential mandate, renewable without election. By September, the ruling junta was further weakened after jihadists launched a fuel blockade.
Guinea
Guinea’s political landscape shifted on September 5, 2021, when mutinous troops led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya seized power and arrested President Alpha Condé. In early November 2025, Doumbouya submitted his candidacy ahead of the December 28 elections intended to restore constitutional order.
Sudan
Tension between military and civilian leaders in Sudan escalated on October 25, 2021, when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan staged a coup, ending the power-sharing arrangement formed after the ousting of former dictator Omar al-Bashir. Since April 2023, the country has been engulfed in war between the regular armed forces led by Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Coup Shifts in West, Central, and Southern Africa
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso recorded two coups in 2022. In January, mutinous soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. By September, Damiba himself was ousted, with army officers announcing his dismissal. Captain Ibrahim Traore became the transitional president, later declaring that elections would not materialise. In May 2024, amid ongoing Islamist violence, the junta authorised Traore to remain in power for another five years.
Niger
On July 26, 2023, Niger’s presidential guard overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who had been elected in 2021. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the guard, assumed leadership of the country. In March 2025, the junta extended its transitional rule by at least five years, with the nation still facing persistent jihadist violence.
Gabon
Gabon’s decades-long Bongo dynasty came to an abrupt end on August 30, 2023, when army officers removed President Ali Bongo Ondimba less than an hour after he was declared winner of an election the opposition dismissed as fraudulent. General Brice Oligui Nguema was named transitional president. In April 2025, he was elected president with 94.85 per cent of the vote and sworn into office under a new constitution approved by referendum during the transition period.
Madagascar
In Madagascar, weeks of “Gen Z” anti-government protests culminated in the military ousting President Andry Rajoelina in October 2025. Army Colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as the new president, pledging to hold elections within 18 to 24 months.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau faced its own upheaval in November 2025, when military officers declared they had “total control” of the country. The armed forces closed borders and suspended the electoral process just three days after general elections. The military leadership announced that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces” would steer the nation “until further notice.”
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