Why There Has Been a Spate of Coups in Africa. Political Expert Tells Neusroom
Democracy in Africa, it appears, is at a critical crossroads, with a disconcerting surge in coup d’états over the past three years.
In the last three years, from August 2020 to August 2023, Africa has witnessed eight coups, with seven in the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Niger, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Gabon, all under military rule.
The most recent coups in Africa, in Gabon and Niger, have raised concerns that democracy is on a drastic decline on the continent, with some experts predicting a domino effect of coups across the continent where 431 million people live in extreme poverty.
While the mutineers seized power in Gabon on August 30, 2023, just four days after the country’s presidential election, the public’s response to the coup showed widespread dissatisfaction with the democratic governance of the ousted President Ali Bongo, who had been in power for 14 years, following his father’s 52-year reign.
“People are very happy. They said that they’re now free,” was Rejoice’s response to Neusroom when asked how Gabonese citizens reacted to the coup.
Rejoice, who prefers not to disclose her surname, is a Nigerian who has been living in Gabon since 2016.
Various videos examined by Neusroom, depicting both the Niger coup and Gabon, show people in a celebratory mood after the mutineers took power.
Political analyst Dr. Robert Ekat, who has closely monitored the situation, asserts that “there is a limit to how much a people can be pushed.” According to Ekat, African nations have endured the strain of bad governance and widespread impoverishment for far too long, which has ultimately pushed citizens to the brink.
Inexplicably, countries like Niger and Gabon, both blessed with abundant resources—uranium in Niger and oil in Gabon—have seen their populations paradoxically languish in deplorable poverty, further fueling frustration and resentment.
Niger, one of the world’s largest producers of uranium with about 5% of the global output, has over 42% of its citizens living below the poverty line of $1.9 per day. Similarly, Gabon, one of Africa’s oil-producing countries, has 39% of its citizens living in poverty.
Ekat posits that it’s hardly a surprise that these populations welcomed the ousting of their civilian leaders.
However, the problem runs deeper than just dissatisfaction with governance.
“There are more dynamics to the situation. While democracy is lauded as the best form of government, African countries have not experienced its ideal form in practice, as elections are manipulated, constitutions are arbitrarily amended to suit incumbent powers, and violence is deployed to constrain opposition parties. Indeed, it was only a matter of time for the bubble to burst, as it did,” he told Neusroom.
In Africa, as many equally alleged in the recent general election in Nigeria, elections are marred by manipulation, and violence is routinely employed to suppress opposition parties, and their supporters.
The mutineers who ousted Bongo in Gabon similarly cited concerns over electoral integrity.
With deteriorating governance and rising poverty, amid inflation, there is growing concern that these coups will further spread across the continent.
“Sitting civilian governments in Africa must prioritize the needs of their people and deliver good governance. Otherwise, this spate of coups may persist,” Robert said.
