Recent military takeovers across africa: a timeline since 2020

Bénin has recently been added to a growing roster of African nations where military personnel have attempted to seize control since 2020. This particular military takeover on a Sunday lasted for several hours before official declarations confirmed it had been successfully thwarted.

In a scenario becoming increasingly common across West Africa, a contingent of soldiers appeared on Bénin’s state television on Sunday, declaring the removal of President Patrice Talon and the dissolution of the government following a swift power grab.

Just a few hours later, Bénin’s Minister of Interior, Alassane Seidou, released an online video stating that the attempted coup d’état had been neutralized. Seidou clarified that the involved soldiers “initiated a mutiny with the intention of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” further asserting the army’s continued “commitment to the Republic.”

Presented below is a detailed timeline of military takeovers and attempted coups across Africa, often characterized by disputed elections, constitutional upheavals, escalating security challenges, and widespread youth dissatisfaction:

Mali: august 2020 and may 2021

Since August 2020, Mali has experienced two successive military coups. In the first instance, a group of soldiers orchestrated a mutiny and apprehended high-ranking military officers near Bamako. This occurred after weeks of civilian protests demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Keïta, who faced accusations of corruption and an inability to combat armed groups effectively.

Colonel Assimi Goïta, the military leader, subsequently entered into a power-sharing arrangement with civilian president Bah Ndaw, with Goïta assuming the role of vice-president in the transitional government. However, in 2021, Goïta overthrew Ndaw following a series of disagreements and installed himself as president. He then postponed an election originally scheduled for 2022 until 2027.

Mali forms part of a tripartite group of landlocked West African nations, alongside Burkina Faso and Niger, all currently under military juntas. These nations have established their own bloc after withdrawing from ECOWAS, unequivocally expressing their opposition to a prompt return to democratic governance.

Chad: april 2021

Following his father’s death in 2021, army general Mahamat Idriss Déby swiftly assumed power, thereby extending three decades of family rule in this Central African country.

Three years later, he organized the election he had pledged upon taking office. Déby was declared the victor, a result which the opposition denounced as fraudulent. Since then, he has intensified the crackdown on critics. Former Prime Minister Succès Masra, a prominent opposition figure, received a 20-year prison sentence earlier this year.

Guinea: september 2021

After serving 11 years in power, Alpha Condé was deposed by a group of soldiers led by Mamady Doumbouya. In 2020, Condé had controversially amended the Constitution to enable him to seek a third term.

Doumbouya is now a candidate in the upcoming December elections and aims to transition from his military uniform, particularly after a referendum this year authorized junta members to run for office and extended the presidential term length from five to seven years.

Sudan: october 2021

The Sudanese army, under the command of General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, orchestrated a coup d’état in October 2021, removing Omar el-Béchir, who had governed the nation for 26 years.

Burhan subsequently entered into a power-sharing agreement with Muhammad Dangalo, widely known as Hemetti, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In April 2023, a simmering rivalry between the two commanders erupted into one of the world’s most devastating conflicts, as characterized by the United Nations. The war continues to this day.

Burkina Faso: january and september 2022

Mirroring its neighbor Mali, Burkina Faso has experienced two consecutive coups. In January 2022, President Roch Kaboré was overthrown by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba. By September of the same year, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who led an artillery unit within the Burkinabè army, deposed Damiba, citing the identical justification as the preceding coup: a worsening security situation.

Traoré has since been governing the country. In July, he dissolved the independent electoral commission.

Niger: july 2023

General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, bringing an end to a rare democratic transition in Niger. This dramatic coup triggered a crisis within ECOWAS, which threatened military intervention if Bazoum was not reinstated and the country did not return to democratic rule.

The crisis subsequently polarized the region, leading to Niger aligning with Burkina Faso and Mali to form the Alliance of Sahel States.

Gabon: august 2023

Shortly after President Ali Bongo, who had been in power for 14 years and was seeking a third term, was declared the winner of the 2023 election, a group of soldiers appeared on television to announce their seizure of power. They proceeded to annul the election and dissolve all state institutions.

Brice Oligui Nguema, a cousin of Bongo, assumed leadership and has since been governing Gabon. He was declared the victor of the April presidential election.

Madagascar: october 2025

Expressing their deep frustration over persistent water shortages and electricity outages, young people in Madagascar took to the streets to demand the resignation of former President Andry Rajoelina.

Instead, Rajoelina disbanded his government and refused to step down, which led to a military takeover in this Southern African nation.

Guinea-Bissau: november 2025

On November 26, soldiers in Guinea-Bissau seized power following a contested presidential election three days prior. Critics, including the opposition, alleged that the coup was a staged takeover designed to prevent the incumbent president’s defeat.

Both the incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and the primary opposition figure, Fernando Dias, claimed victory in the November 23 election.

Embaló was released and permitted to flee to neighboring Sénégal, from where he has since departed. The new military junta proceeded with appointments, including several individuals who were allies of the deposed president.

Bénin: december 2025

Less than two weeks after the coup in Guinea-Bissau, soldiers orchestrated a similar power grab in Bénin after gunfire was reported near the presidential palace.

A group of soldiers, identifying themselves as the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on state television to announce that the country’s leader, Patrice Talon, had been removed from office and that state institutions were dissolved.

The soldiers named Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri as the president of the military committee.

Hours later, officials declared that the attempted coup had been successfully thwarted by the armed forces and that the military remained “committed to the Republic.”