# Coup Belt

The Coup Belt (French: la ceinture de coups d'État) is a modern geopolitical concept and neologism which emerged during the 2020s to describe the region of West Africa, Central Africa and the Sahel that is home to countries with a high prevalence of coups d'état. Following the 2023 Nigerien coup, these countries form a continuous chain stretching between the east and west coasts of Africa.
The coups have largely been similar in nature; most came from dissatisfied militaries who criticised their respective government's handling of Islamic insurgents or protests since 2003. Resentment over French military, financial and political influence over African governments has also played a role. The incoming juntas tend to have worse relations with the West, with many seeking support from either Russia and the Wagner Group or Turkey instead of France, which previously helped the countries fight against Islamic insurgents through Operation Barkhane. This led Ukraine to fund opposition groups which in turn caused a proxy war between Russia and Ukraine.

## Origin

Although likely older, the term became popular in the 2020s after a string of coups in the early part of the decade, including in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Chad, Guinea, and Sudan in 2021, two in Burkina Faso in January and September 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, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso in 2023.

## History

Since 1990, 21 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 Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger cancelled military agreements that allowed French troops to operate on their territory, and in the case of Mali, removed French as an official language.
ECOWAS has tried to actively work on changing the label associated with the region, although unsuccessful. The regional bloc suspended Mali after its coup in 2021, and also suspended Guinea on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country. The three members of the Alliance of Sahel States were suspended before ultimately withdrawing from ECOWAS in 2023.
Considering only the subregion of West Africa, the 2020 coup d'état in Mali occurred after a period of nearly six years, since the 2014 Burkina Faso uprising and the ousting of Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaoré, during which there was not a single undemocratic change of government in West Africa. For this subregion where many countries have a history of civil war and violent conflict, this was a period of remarkable stability during which ECOWAS even managed to find a peaceful resolution to the 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis.
The 2023 Gabonese coup d'état was somewhat different, as Gabon was ruled for 56 years by the Bongo family before the coup, is not near or part of the Sahel, and did not suffer from Islamist or separatist insurgencies. The Gabonese military coup occurred in the context of widespread protests over the conduct of the 2023 Gabonese general election. It led to the establishment of a presidential republic under a military junta.

## List of coups d'état in the Coup Belt

| 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 | Sudan | 1959 Sudanese coup attempt | Ibrahim Abboud | | Coup failure |
| 17 February 1964 | Gabon | 1964 Gabonese coup d'état | Léon M'ba | Jacques MomboValére EssoneJean-Hilaire Aubame | Coup briefly successful; M'ba restored following French intervention |
| 3 January 1966 | Upper Volta | 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état | Maurice Yaméogo | Sangoulé Lamizana | Coup successful |
| 18 November 1968 | Mali | 1968 Malian coup d'état | Modibo Keïta | Moussa Traoré | Coup successful |
| 25 May 1969 | Sudan | 1969 Sudanese coup d'état | Ismail al-Azhari | Jaafar Nimeiry | Coup successful |
| 19–22 July 1971 | Sudan | 1971 Sudanese coup d'état | Jaafar Nimeiry | Hashem al Atta | Coup briefly successful; Nimeiry restored following counter-coup |
| 15 April 1974 | Niger | 1974 Nigerien coup d'état | Hamani Diori | Seyni Kountché | Coup successful |
| 13–15 April 1975 | Chad | 1975 Chadian coup d'état | N’Garta Tombalbaye | Noël Milarew Odingar Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué | Coup successful |
| 2–5 July 1976 | Sudan | 1976 Sudanese coup attempt | Jaafar Nimeiry | Sadiq al-Mahdi Muhammad Nour Saad | Coup failure |
| 25 November 1980 | Upper Volta | 1980 Upper Volta coup d'état | Sangoulé Lamizana | Saye Zerbo | Coup successful |
| 7 November 1982 | Upper Volta | 1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état | Say Zerbo | Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo | Coup successful |
| 28 February 1983 | Upper Volta | 1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état attempt | Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo | Saye Zerbo | Coup failure |
| 4 August 1983 | Upper Volta | 1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état | Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo | Thomas Sankara | Coup successful |
| 3 April 1984 | Guinea | 1984 Guinean coup d'état | Louis Lansana Beavogui | Lansana Conté | Coup successful |
| 6 April 1985 | Sudan | 1985 Sudanese coup d'état | Jaafar Nimeiry | Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab | Coup successful |
| 15 October 1987 | Burkina Faso | 1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état | Thomas Sankara | Blaise Compaoré | Coup successful |
| 30 June 1989 | Sudan | 1989 Sudanese coup d'état | Ahmed al-Mirghani | Omar al-Bashir | Coup successful |
| 18 September 1989 | Burkina Faso | 1989 Burkina Faso coup attempt | Blaise Compaoré | Jean-Baptiste Boukary LinganiHenri Zongo | Coup failure |
| 3 December 1990 | Chad | 1990 Chadian coup d'état | Hissène Habré | Idriss Déby | Coup successful |
| 26 March 1991 | Mali | 1991 Malian coup d'état | Moussa Traoré | Amadou Toumani Touré | Coup successful |
| 27 January 1996 | Niger | 1996 Nigerien coup d'état | Mahamane Ousmane | Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara | Coup successful |
| 9 April 1999 | Niger | 1999 Nigerien coup d'état | Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara | Daouda Malam Wanké | Coup successful |
| 7 October 2003 | Burkina Faso | 2003 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt | Blaise Compaoré | Luther Diapagri Oualy | Coup failure |
| 16 May 2004 | Chad | 2004 Chadian coup attempt | Idriss Déby | Bechir Haggar | Coup failure |
| 14 March 2006 | Chad | 2006 Chadian coup attempt | Idriss Déby | Tom ErdimiTimane ErdimiSeby Aguid | Coup failure |
| 23 December 2008 | Guinea | 2008 Guinean coup d'état | Aboubacar Somparé | Moussa Dadis Camara | Coup successful |
| 18 February 2010 | Niger | 2010 Nigerien coup d'état | Mamadou Tandja | Salou Djibo | Coup successful |
| 16 July 2011 | Niger | 2011 Nigerien coup d'état attempt | Mahamadou Issoufou | | Coup failure |
| 21 March 2012 | Mali | 2012 Malian coup d'état | Amadou Toumani Touré | Amadou Sanogo | Coup successful |
| 1 May 2013 | Chad | 2013 Chadian coup attempt | Idriss Déby | Moussa Tao Mahamat | Coup failure |
| 3 November 2014 | Burkina Faso | 2014 Burkina Faso uprising | Blaise Compaoré | Honoré TraoréYacouba Isaac Zida | Uprising successful |
| 16 September 2015 | Burkina Faso | 2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt | Michel Kafando | Gilbert Diendéré | Coup failure |
| 7 January 2019 | Gabon | 2019 Gabonese coup attempt | Ali Bongo Ondimba | Kelly Ondo Obiang | Coup failure |
| 11 April 2019 | Sudan | 2019 Sudanese coup d'état | Omar al-Bashir | Ahmed Awad Ibn AufAbdel Fattah al-Burhan | Coup successful |
| 18 August 2020 | Mali | 2020 Malian coup d'état | Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta | Assimi GoïtaMalick DiawIsmaël WaguéSadio CamaraBah Ndaw | Coup successful |
| 31 March 2021 | Niger | 2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt | Mohamed Bazoum | Sani Saley Gourouza | Coup failure |
| 20 April 2021 | Chad | 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 | Mali | 2021 Malian coup d'état | Bah Ndaw | Assimi Goïta | Coup successful |
| 5 September 2021 | Guinea | 2021 Guinean coup d'état | Alpha Condé | Mamady Doumbouya | Coup successful |
| 25 October 2021 | Sudan | 2021 Sudanese coup d'état | Abdalla Hamdok | Abdel Fattah al-BurhanHemedti | Coup successful |
| 23 January 2022 | Burkina Faso | January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état | Roch Marc Christian Kaboré | Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba | Coup successful |
| 30 September 2022 | Burkina Faso | September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état | Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba | Ibrahim Traoré | Coup successful |
| 15 April 2023 | Sudan | War in Sudan (2023–present) | Abdel Fattah al-Burhan | Hemedti | Inconclusive; led to civil war |
| 26 July 2023 | Niger | 2023 Nigerien coup d'état | Mohamed Bazoum | Abdourahamane TchianiAmadou AbdramaneSalifou ModiAbdou Sidikou IssaMoussa Salaou Barmou | Coup successful |
| 30 August 2023 | Gabon | 2023 Gabonese coup d'état | Ali Bongo Ondimba | Brice Oligui | Coup successful |
| 26 September 2023 | Burkina Faso | 2023 Burkina Faso coup attempt | Ibrahim Traoré | Abdoul Aziz AouobaCheikh Hamza OuattaraChristophe MaïgaSekou OuedraogoBoubacar Keïta | Coup failure |