Military-led coups d’état have dented democratic progress in West Africa. From the successful overthrows of democratic governments in Mali (2020; 2021); Guinea (2021); and Burkina Faso (January and September 2022); to failed ones in Niger (2021); and Guinea Bissau (2022); military forces are increasingly interfering in civilian-led politics.
The sharp rise in coups d’état in the region has raised fears of a return to the bad old days of prevalent despotic and autocratic governments. This paper explores the developing socio-political challenges in West Africa to analyze the governance and political issues fueling the rise in coup d’états and posits ways in which they can be prevented.
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