حزام الانقلابات

Coup Belt
Geopolitical concept applied on Africa
African countries that have had successful coups between 2020 and 2023
Continent	Africa
Countries	Sahel and West Africa, mainly: بوركينا فاسو تشاد غينيا مالي النيجر السودان

The Coup Belt (فرنسية: la ceinture de coups d'État) is a modern geopolitical concept and neologism to describe the region of West Africa, Central Africa and the Sahel that has a high prevalence of coups d'état.

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 Overview

The number of successful coups d'état in postcolonial Africa (As of 1 August 2023). A successful coup occurred in Gabon on 30 August 2023.

Human Development Index (HDI) of African countries, with the Coup Belt outlined in red (Gabon is sometimes included following the 2023 coup). Every country in the Coup Belt, except Gabon, has an HDI below 0.500, indicating low human development.

 Origin

Although likely older, the term became popular in the 2020s after a string of coups in the early 2020s, including in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Chad, Guinea, and Sudan in 2021, two in Burkina Faso in January and September in 2022, and in Niger and Gabon in 2023. The region also saw attempted coups in Niger and Sudan in 2021, Guinea–Bissau and The Gambia in 2022, and Sudan and Sierra Leone in 2023.

After the 2023 Nigerien coup, these countries formed a continuous chain stretching between the east and west coasts of Africa.

 History

Since 1990, 78% of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have taken place in former French colonies. This has led some to question whether French influence in Africa has a destabilising impact.

The military juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger cancelled military agreements that allowed for French troops to operate on their territory, and in the case of Mali, removed French as an official language.

Niger was meant to host the French troops removed from Mali and Burkina Faso but the 2023 Nigerien crisis and cancellation of military ties with France has complicated this arrangement.

ECOWAS has tried to actively work on changing this label that is associated with the region, although unsuccessfully; they suspended Mali after their coup in 2021, and also suspended Guinea on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country.

The coups have been similar in nature; most came from dissatisfied militaries who criticised their respective government's handling of Islamic insurgents or protests. The incoming juntas also tend to have worse relations with the West, with many seeking support from either Russia and the Wagner Group or Turkey instead of France, who helped the countries fight against Islamic insurgents through Operation Barkhane.

 Summary of coups d'état in West Africa, Central Africa, and the Sahel region

Date	Country	Event	Head of state or government	Coup leader(s)	Outcome
June 1957	Sudan	1957 Sudanese coup attempt	Abdallah Khalil	Abdel Rahman Ismail Kabeida	Coup failure
17 November 1959		1959 Sudanese coup attempt	Ibrahim Abboud
13 January 1963	داهومي	1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état	Hubert Maga	Christophe Soglo	Coup successful
28 October 1963	توگو	1963 Togolese coup d'état	Sylvanus Olympio	Emmanuel Bodjollé Étienne Eyadéma Kléber Dadjo Nicolas Grunitzky
17 February 1964	الگابون	1964 Gabonese coup d'état	Léon M'ba	Jacques Mombo Valére Essone Jean-Hilaire Aubame	Coup briefly successful; M'ba restored following French intervention
31 December 1965 – 1 January 1966	جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى	Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état	David Dacko	Jean-Bédel Bokassa	Coup successful
3 January 1966	ڤولتا العليا	1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état	Maurice Yaméogo	Sangoulé Lamizana
16 January 1966	نيجريا	1966 Nigerian coup d'état	Nnamdi Azikiwe	Chukwuma Kaduna NzeogwuEmmanuel Ifeajuna	Coup failure
24 February 1966	غانا	1966 Ghanaian coup d'état	Kwame Nkrumah	Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka	Coup successful
28 July 1966	نيجريا	1966 Nigerian counter-coup	Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi	Murtala Muhammed
13 January 1967	توگو	1967 Togolese coup d'état	Nicolas Grunitzky	Étienne Eyadéma
21 March 1967	سيراليون	First 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état	Siaka Stevens	David Lansana
23 March 1967		Second 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état	David Lansana	Andrew Juxon-Smith
18 November 1968	مالي	1968 Malian coup d'état	Modibo Keïta	Moussa Traoré
25 May 1969	Sudan	1969 Sudanese coup d'état	Ismail al-Azhari	Jaafar Nimeiry
19–22 July 1971	السودان	1971 Sudanese coup d'état	Jaafar Nimeiry	Hashem al Atta	Coup briefly successful; Nimeiry restored following counter-coup
13 January 1972	غانا	1972 Ghanaian coup d'état	Kofi Abrefa Busia	Ignatius Kutu Acheampong	Coup successful
26 October 1972	داهومي	1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état	Presidential Council	Mathieu Kérékou
15 April 1974	النيجر	1974 Nigerien coup d'état	Hamani Diori	Seyni Kountché
13–15 April 1975	تشاد	1975 Chadian coup d'état	N’Garta Tombalbaye	Noël Milarew OdingarWadel Abdelkader Kamougué
29 July 1975	نيجريا	1975 Nigerian coup d'état	Yakubu Gowon	Joseph Nanven GarbaMurtala Muhammed
13 February 1976		1976 Nigerian coup attempt	Murtala Muhammed	Buka Suka Dimka	Coup failure; Muhammed assassinated
2–5 July 1976	السودان	1976 Sudanese coup attempt	Jaafar Nimeiry	Sadiq al-MahdiMuhammad Nour Saad	Coup failure
17 January 1977	بنين	1977 Benin coup attempt	Mathieu Kérékou	Bob Denard
10 July 1978	موريتانيا	1978 Mauritanian coup d'état	Moktar Ould Daddah	Mustafa Ould Salek	Coup successful
6 April 1979		1979 Mauritanian coup d'état	Mustafa Ould Salek	Ahmed Ould BouceifMohamed Mahmoud Ould LoulyMohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
21 September 1979	قالب:Country data Central African Empire	Operation Caban	Bokassa I	David Dacko	Operation successful
12 April 1980	ليبريا	1980 Liberian coup d'état	William Tolbert	Samuel Doe	Coup successful
14 November 1980	غينيا-بيساو	1980 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état	Luís Cabral	João Bernardo Vieira
25 November 1980	ڤولتا العليا	1980 Upper Volta coup d'état	Sangoulé Lamizana	Saye Zerbo
16 March 1981	موريتانيا	1981 Mauritanian coup attempt	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla	Ahmed Salim Ould Sidi	Coup failure
30 July – 4 August 1981	گامبيا	1981 Gambian coup attempt	Dawda Jawara	Kukoi Sanyang	Coup failure following Senegalese intervention
1 September 1981	جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى	1981 Central African Republic coup d'état	David Dacko	André Kolingba	Coup successful
31 December 1981	غانا	1981 Ghanaian coup d'état	Hilla Limann	Jerry Rawlings
3 March 1982	جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى	1982 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt	André Kolingba	Ange-Félix Patassé	Coup failure
7 November 1982	ڤولتا العليا	1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état	Say Zerbo	Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo	Coup successful
28 February 1983		1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état attempt	Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo	Saye Zerbo	Coup failure
4 August 1983		1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état		Thomas Sankara	Coup successful
31 December 1983	نيجريا	1983 Nigerian coup d'état	Shehu Shagari	Muhammadu Buhari
3 April 1984	غينيا	1984 Guinean coup d'état	Louis Lansana Beavogui	Lansana Conté
April 1984	الكاميرون	1984 Cameroonian coup attempt	Paul Biya		Coup failure
12 December 1984	موريتانيا	1984 Mauritanian coup d'état	Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya	Coup successful
6 April 1985	السودان	1985 Sudanese coup d'état	Jaafar Nimeiry	Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab
27 August 1985	نيجريا	1985 Nigerian coup d'état	Muhammadu Buhari	Ibrahim Babangida
12 November 1985	ليبريا	1985 Liberian coup d'état attempt	Samuel Doe	Thomas Quiwonkpa	Coup failure
23 September 1986	توگو	1986 Togolese coup attempt	Gnassingbé Eyadéma
23 March 1987	سيراليون	1987 Sierra Leonean coup d'état attempt	Joseph Saidu Momoh	Francis Minah
15 October 1987	Burkina Faso	1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état	Thomas Sankara	Blaise Compaoré	Coup successful
30 June 1989	السودان	1989 Sudanese coup d'état	Ahmed al-Mirghani	Omar al-Bashir
18 September 1989	Burkina Faso	1989 Burkina Faso coup attempt	Blaise Compaoré	Jean-Baptiste Boukary LinganiHenri Zongo	Coup failure
22 April 1990	نيجريا	1990 Nigerian coup attempt	Ibrahim Babangida	Gideon Orkar
3 December 1990	تشاد	1990 Chadian coup d'état	Hissène Habré	Idriss Déby	Coup successful
26 March 1991	مالي	1991 Malian coup d'état	Moussa Traoré	Amadou Toumani Touré
29 April 1992	سيراليون	1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état	Joseph Saidu Momoh	Valentine Strasser
17 November 1993	نيجريا	1993 Nigerian coup d'état	Ernest Shonekan	Sani Abacha
22 July 1994	گامبيا	1994 Gambian coup d'état	Dawda Jawara	Yahya Jammeh
27 January 1996	النيجر	1996 Nigerien coup d'état	Mahamane Ousmane	Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
9 April 1999		1999 Nigerien coup d'état	Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara	Daouda Malam Wanké
24 December 1999	ساحل العاج	1999 Ivorian coup d'état	Henri Konan Bédié	Tuo Fozié
15 March 2003	جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى	2003 Central African Republic coup d'état	Ange-Félix Patassé	François Bozizé
8–9 June 2003	موريتانيا	2003 Mauritanian coup attempt	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya	Saleh Ould Hanenna	Coup failure
14 September 2003	غينيا-بيساو	2003 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état	Kumba Ialá	Veríssimo Correia Seabra	Coup successful
7 October 2003	بوركينا فاسو	2003 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt	Blaise Compaoré	Luther Diapagri Oualy	Coup failure
16 May 2004	تشاد	2004 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby	Bechir Haggar
5 February 2005	توگو	2005 Togolese coup d'état	Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba	Faure Gnassingbé Zakari Nandja	Coup successful
3 August 2005	موريتانيا	2005 Mauritanian coup d'état	Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya	Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
14 March 2006	تشاد	2006 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby	Tom Erdimi Timane Erdimi Seby Aguid	Coup failure
6 August 2008	موريتانيا	2008 Mauritanian coup d'état	Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi	Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz	Coup successful
23 December 2008	غينيا	2008 Guinean coup d'état	Aboubacar Somparé	Moussa Dadis Camara
18 February 2010	النيجر	2010 Nigerien coup d'état	Mamadou Tandja	Salou Djibo
16 July 2011		2011 Nigerien coup d'état attempt	Mahamadou Issoufou		Coup failure
21 March 2012	مالي	2012 Malian coup d'état	Amadou Toumani Touré	Amadou Sanogo	Coup successful
23–24 March 2013	جمهورية أفريقيا الوسطى	Battle of Bangui (2013)	François Bozizé	Michel Djotodia	Séléka victory
1 May 2013	تشاد	2013 Chadian coup attempt	Idriss Déby	Moussa Tao Mahamat	Coup failure
3 November 2014	بوركينا فاسو	2014 Burkina Faso uprising	Blaise Compaoré	Honoré Traoré Yacouba Isaac Zida	Uprising successful
30 December 2014	گامبيا	2014 Gambian coup attempt	Yahya Jammeh	Lamin Sanneh	Coup failure
16 September 2015	بوركينا فاسو	2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt	Michel Kafando	Gilbert Diendéré
7 January 2019	الگابون	2019 Gabonese coup attempt	Ali Bongo Ondimba	Kelly Ondo Obiang
11 April 2019	السودان	2019 Sudanese coup d'état	Omar al-Bashir	Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf Abdel Fattah al-Burhan	Coup successful
18 August 2020	مالي	2020 Malian coup d'état	Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta	Assimi Goïta Malick Diaw Ismaël Wagué Sadio Camara Bah Ndaw
31 March 2021	النيجر	2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt	Mohamed Bazoum	Sani Saley Gourouza	Coup failure
20 April 2021	تشاد	Death of Idriss Déby	Vacant	Mahamat Déby	Mahamat Déby takes office as leader of a military junta. Regarded as a coup by regional opposition.
24 May 2021	مالي	2021 Malian coup d'état	Bah Ndaw	Assimi Goïta	Coup successful
5 September 2021	غينيا	2021 Guinean coup d'état	Alpha Condé	Mamady Doumbouya
25 October 2021	السودان	2021 Sudan coup d'état	Abdalla Hamdok	Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Hemedti
23 January 2022	بوركينا فاسو	January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état	Roch Marc Christian Kaboré	Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
30 September 2022		September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état	Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba	Ibrahim Traoré
15 April 2023	السودان	2023 Sudan conflict	Abdel Fattah al-Burhan	Hemedti	Inconclusive; led to civil conflict
26 July 2023	النيجر	2023 Nigerien coup d'état	Mohamed Bazoum	Abdourahamane Tchiani Amadou Abdramane Salifou Modi Abdou Sidikou Issa Moussa Salaou Barmou	Coup successful
31 July 2023	سيراليون	2023 Sierra Leone coup attempt	Julius Maada Bio	Mohammed Yetey Turay	Coup failure
30 August 2023	الگابون	2023 Gabonese coup d'état	Ali Bongo Ondimba	Brice Oligui	Coup successful

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