African coups in the COVID-19 era: A current history

Abstract

What explains the explosion of coup activity in Africa over the last few years? To answer this question, this article presents narrative summaries—a current history—of all eleven coups attempts in Africa between August 2020 and November 2022. We then discuss the most relevant causal explanations for the observed increase in coup frequency in Africa in this period. Though we find relatively little evidence of direct coup diffusion or democratic backsliding as coup triggers, our findings suggest that coup-struck African countries over the last few years are disproportionately poor, have a recent history of coups, and face ongoing dilemmas of democratic consolidation. Ongoing Islamist insurgencies may have helped precipitate recent coups in West Africa but not elsewhere.

Health financing in Sudan: key informant interviews in the wake of the 2023 conflict

“…As of 2022, 45 of the Africa's 54 countries have suffered one or more coup attempts. On average, African states have suffered four coup attempts since their independence, with Sudan experiencing the most (a total of 17), including two in the previous year (35). This shows an increasing trend with 13 percent of African countries suffering coups in the prior two years, comprising a six-fold increase from just four years earlier (35).…”

“…On average, African states have suffered four coup attempts since their independence, with Sudan experiencing the most (a total of 17), including two in the previous year (35). This shows an increasing trend with 13 percent of African countries suffering coups in the prior two years, comprising a six-fold increase from just four years earlier (35). The long-standing political turbulence in Sudan has certainly taken its toll on the health sector, but research examining the effects of politics is scarce.…”

Setting up a state‐of‐the‐art laboratory in resource limited settings: A case study of the biomedical science research and training centre in Northeast Nigeria

“…From 2020 to 2022 alone, 11 attempted coups occurred, with seven succeeding in five countries (Chin & Kirkpatrick, 2023). Currently, Sudan is under an intense social conflict caused by a successful overthrowing of the government.…”

“…The challenging landscape of political instability and insecurity in Africa has the potential to hinder the establishment and maintenance of functional laboratories. From 2020 to 2022 alone, 11 attempted coups occurred, with seven succeeding in five countries (Chin & Kirkpatrick, 2023). Currently, Sudan is under an intense social conflict caused by a successful overthrowing of the government.…”

A Contemporary Approach to Designing and Implementing Electronic Voting Systems (EVS)

“…Major findings are due to the identification of political, economic, or social factors contributing to the risk of coups and increased political instability or dissatisfaction with governance. In [37], the author argued that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on coup dynamics in Africa is evidence of how the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities, potentially leading to an increase in coup attempts and insights into how health crises can strain governance and trigger political unrest. The author [38] conducts a comprehensive historical analysis of coup attempts in Africa covering a considerable timeframe, unveiling observable patterns and trends in such endeavors across various decades.…”