The takeover in Niger — led by soldiers belonging to the presidential guard — is just the latest in a string of coups that have taken place in Africa in recent years, with over 200 such attempts in the continent since the 1950s.
About half of these have been successful.
The high number of coups in Africa is not surprising, given the instability African countries experienced in the years after independence, which have produced conditions common for coups, like poverty and poor economic performance.
Overall, Africa has experienced more coups than any other continent. Of the 17 coups recorded globally since 2017, all but one — Myanmar in 2021 — have been in Africa. Sudan has had the most coups and attempted takeovers in recent decades amounting to 17 — six of them were successful.
