10 African Presidents Who Rose To Power Through Military Coups.
Channel: Africa Reloaded
Date: 2023-08-13

10 African leaders who rose to power through a military coup.

While the recent coup in Niger is the most recent in Africa, it is not the first and will most likely not be the last. Military coups are nothing new on the African continent. Since 1950, Africa has experienced 214 attempted or successful coups, the most of any area, with 106 of them succeeding. While in power, some coup leaders were unable to do anything important because they were immediately deposed; others were able to transition into civilian presidents; and yet others were able to revolutionise their countries and, by extension, Africa. In this video, we'll look at a cross section of ten African leaders that rose to power through coups.

Thomas Sankara
One of the greatest African leaders to have ever lived, Thomas Sankara was a Marxist revolutionary and Pan-Africanist who served as President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He was a charismatic and iconic leader who transformed Burkina Faso during his four years as President and gave his life fighting neocolonialism. Often called “Africa’s Che Guevara”, Sankara came into power in 1983 after a coup was organized on his behalf while he was under house arrest. The coup was led by his friend Blaise Compaore who was later found guilty of his murder. Sankara became President of the Republic of Upper Volta at the age of 33, launching social, ecological, and economic policies and renaming the country Burkina Faso from the French colonial name Upper Volta. His foreign policy was anti-imperialist, and he refused funding from organisations like the International Monetary Fund. His internal policies included famine prevention, agrarian self-sufficiency, land reform, and the suspension of rural poll taxes, as well as a statewide literacy campaign and a meningitis, yellow fever, and measles vaccination programme. He was greatly loved and respected by all as a true example of a great leader until he was killed on October 15, 1987. 


Watch Our Other Videos Here
10 Ongoing Projects In South Africa
https://youtu.be/PzVC6VxS0GQ

Ghanaians Shaping The World In The Field Of Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1Qg8RJ1qg&t=3s

10 Completed Projects in South Africa That Shook The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEuRStF1RG4

10 Poorest Countries In Africa, 2022.
https://youtu.be/_thG5tFenaY

7 Ongoing And Upcoming Mega Oil And Gas Projects In Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzb6ImDkPg0

10 Biggest Economy In Africa By GDP, 2021.
https://youtu.be/70VfnlHblcQ

This presentation contains images that were used under the Creative Commons Licence and Fair use policy.

For copyright matters relating to this video or channel, please contact us directly, and we'll remove any video on request: 

.........................................................