Africa has a long history of coups. Since the 1960s, there have been over 200 successful and attempted coups in Africa. In this article, we have the top 10 list of countries in Africa with the most coups.
At the end of this article, you will know the number of coups that were attempted in these countries and the number of them that were successful and those that were not successful.
Below is the top 10 list of African countries with the most coups.
10. Mauritania.
Mauritania is a West African country that shares boundaries with Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali, and Senegal. This beautiful country has had 7 attempted coup d'etat with 5 being successful. Coup attempts in 1982 and 2003 were not successful but in 1978 President Moktar Ould Daddah was deposed.
In 1980 power was seized from President Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Louly. In 1984 President Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla was deposed. President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya was deposed and forced into exile in 2005. The most recent coup in Mauritania happened in 2008 which led to the deposition of President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
9. Benin.
Benin has undergone 7 attempted coups with 5 being successful. They also share borders with Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger. The country's first successful coup took place in 1963, followed by 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1972.
The leaders that were overthrown in these coups were President Hubert Maga, President Sourou-Migan Apithy, President Christophe Soglo, President Emile Derlin Zinsou, and President Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin. Attempted coups in February 1972 and January 1975 were futile.
8. Niger.
Niger is a country that shares boundaries with Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali is located in West Africa. Since independence Niger has had 8 coup attempt but only 5 was successful.
In 1974 President Hamani Diori was deposed. In 1996 President Mahamane Ousmane was deposed. In 1999 President Ibrahim Bare Mainassar was deposed and killed.
In 2010 President Mamadou Tandja was deposed and in the recent coup which happened on 26th July 2023, President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed, and placed under house arrest. Coup attempts in 1976, 1983, and 2021 were all not successful.
7. Mali.
Just like Niger, Mali has had 8 attempted coup d'etat with 5 of them being successful. The successful coup d'etat which happened in 1968, 1991, 2012, 2020, and 2021 brought the overthrow of President Modibo Keïta, President Moussa Traoré, President Amadou Toumani Touré, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, and President Bah N'daw respectively.
In 1978, 1991, and 2012 there were attempted coups but were not successful. Mali is in West Africa and shares boundaries with Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Senegal.
6. Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone which is also a West African country is bounded by Guinea and Liberia. They have had 5 successful coups and 5 unsuccessful ones making it 10 attempted coups in total.
In 1967 Siaka Stevens was sworn in as the country's new Prime Minister but was overthrown some hours later by David Lansana. 2 days later David Lansana was also removed from power by a group led by Andrew Juxon-Smith.
In 1968 Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith was also overthrown. In 1992 President Joseph Saidu Momoh was forced into exile in the coup. In 1996 Valentine Strasser was also deposed. In 1997 Ahmad Tejan Kabbah who was the President of the country overthrown and forced into exile. Coup attempts in 1968, 1987, 1992, and 1995 were all not successful.
5. Ghana.
Ghana which is known to be one of the most peaceful countries in the world has had its fair share of coup d'etats. Just like Sierra Leone, Ghana has also had 10 attempted coups with 5 of them being successful.
This West African country shares borders with Togo, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. The first coup in Ghana happened in 1966. Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown. In 1972 Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia who was the country's leader was overthrown.
In 1978 Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the man who overthrew the Busia government was also overthrown and killed by firing squad. In 1979 Fred Akuffo was deposed and killed in the coup by JJ Rawlings. Finally, in 1981 JJ Rawlings again overthrew Limann's government. In 1967, 1979, 1982, 1983, and 1984 there were unsuccessful coops in Ghana.
4. Burundi.
This East African country is bordered by Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. Since independence, there have been 11 attempted coup d'etat in the country with 5 being successful and 6 being unsuccessful. The first successful coup d'etat in Burundi happened in 1966. That same year another coup took place. followed by 1976, 1987, and 1996. The first coup in 1996 led to the overthrow of the king of Burundi, Mwambutsa IV.
That same year King Ntare V was overthrown. In 1976 President Michel Micombero was overthrown. In 1987 Tutsi Major Pierre Buyoya was removed from government and the 1996 coup saw the overthrown of President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya.
The 6 unsuccessful coups happened in 1965, July 1993, October 1993, April 2021, July 2021, and 2015. The October 1993 failed coup resulted in the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye which led to a 10-year civil war that left an estimated 300,000 people dead.
3. Nigeria.
Nigeria as a West African country is the most populous country in the whole of Africa. It shares boundaries with Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Nigeria has gone through 8 attempted coup d'etat with 6 recorded successful.
The successful ones that took place in January 1966, July 1966, 1975, 1983, 1985, and 1993 led to the overthrow of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Yakubu Gowon, President Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, and President Chief Ernest Shonekan respectively. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi were killed in the coup.
2. Sudan.
Sudan shares borders with countries like Libya, Egypt, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. They are known to be the African country in history to have the most coup d'etat attempts. With 17 coup attempts since independence only 6 of them were successful.
The successful ones took place in 1958 removing Prime Minister Abdalla Khalil, 1969 removing President Ismail al-Azhari, 1985 removing President Gaafar Nimeiri, 1989 removing Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, 2019 removing President Omar al-Bashir, and in 2021 Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok from power. The unsuccessful ones were recorded in 1955, 1959, 1966, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 2012, and 2021. In 1959 and 1966 two attempted coups were recorded in each of the years.
1. Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso, one of the countries in West Africa is ranked the African Country with the most coups. With 9 attempted coups recorded, 8 of them were successful. This country is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger and Mali.
The 8 successful coups led to the overthrow of President Maurice Yaméogo in 1966, Prime Minister Gérard Kango Ouédraogo in 1974, President Sangoulé Lamizana in 1980, President Saye Zerbo in 1982, President Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo in 1983, President Thomas Sankara in 1987, President Blaise Compaore in 2014, and President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in 2022.
The only unsuccessful attempted coup in the country happened in 2015. Do you believe that coups are the reason why most African countries are not developed? Do you believe coups in Africa are supported by the West? Let us know your answer in the comment section. Thank you for watching.
Recap
Burkina Faso - 9 attempts, 8 successful
Sudan - 17 attempts, 6 successful
Nigeria - 8 attempts, 6 successful
Burundi -11 attempts, 5 successful
Ghana - 10 attempts, 5 successful
Sierra Leone - 10 attempts, 5 successful
Mali - 8 attempts, 5 successful
Niger - 8 attempts, 5 successful
Benin - 7 attempts, 5 successful
Mauritania - 7 attempts, 5 successful