This decade has seen Africa witness some major military coups in different regions. Let's travel through time and recollect all the military coups from 2010 to current times.
Crux of the Matter
What's a Coup?
A coup is defined as a sudden, typically illegal, removal of a government and its powers. In Africa, military coups have been a regular occurrence over the decade, with Guinea being a recent example in 2021.
2010
On 19th February, a military coup took over Niger, and captured the then President, Mamadou Tandja.
2012
A coup took place overnight in Mali, by the National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of the State (CNRDR), owing to their frustration with the government.
2013
Central African Republic saw a rebellious coup take over. The then President, Francois Bozize, fled along with his family.
2014
One of the significant coups in Africa was the one at Burkina Faso. After President Blaise Compaore resigned amidst protests, the army took over and Lt Col Zida declared himself the head of the state.
2017
The army coup took over Zimbabwe, after detaining and eventually overthrowing President Robert Mugabe.
2020
Mali saw another military coup takeover after the president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were arrested by the military, and had to immediately resign.
Curiopedia
The term coup comes from French coup d'état, literally meaning a "stroke of state" or "blow of state”. Putsch from Swiss-German "knock" is another word for coup, used for the 1920 Kapp Putsch and other coups in Germany by Adolf Hitler.