Full List of 7 African Countries Run by Soldiers After Coup D'etat

By: Israel Adeleke 

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as observed that since 2020, seven African countries have fallen under military rule, a new wave of coups which reshaped Africa’s political landscape, particularly across West Africa, Central Africa, and the Sahel with the most recent takeover in Guinea-Bissau on November 26, 2025.

OTN News further reports as observed that the expanding “Coup Belt” reflects democratic erosion, worsening insecurity, institutional weakness, and public frustration with failing civilian governments. 

OTN News thought it prudent to profile all the seven African countries currently governed by the armed force, and the circumstances that brought them there.

Here are the seven countries currently governed by the military.

1. BURKINA FASO

Coup Dates: January 2022, September 2022

Leader: Captain Ibrahim Traoré

Burkina Faso witnessed two rapid coups in 2022, both driven by the military’s claim that elected leaders failed to contain jihadist violence tearing through the Sahel.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, now Africa’s youngest military leader, seized power and quickly gained grassroots support with fiery, anti-imperialist rhetoric.

In May 2024, the junta extended its rule for five more years and later withdrew from ECOWAS alongside Mali and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

2. GUINEA

Coup Date: September 2021

Leader: Colonel Mamady Doumbouya

Colonel Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Condé after he controversially amended the constitution to seek a third term. ECOWAS swiftly suspended Guinea.

The junta has extended transition periods while Doumbouya signals interest in running for future elections — mirroring a broader trend of militaries overstaying transitional mandates.

3. GUINEA-BISSAU 

Coup Date: November 26, 2025

Leader: Brigadier General Denis N’Canha

Guinea-Bissau’s 2025 coup toppled President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who sought re-election after surviving two earlier coup attempts.

The small West African country— long plagued by instability — returned to military control after soldiers arrested the president and seized state institutions. It underscores the fragility of democratic structures in the Lusophone enclave.

4. MADAGASCAR

Coup Date: October 2025

Leader: Colonel Michael Randrianirina

Madagascar’s junta emerged after prolonged street protests over severe water shortages and persistent power failures. The military intervened to remove President Andry Rajoelina. 

While outside the traditional Sahel-to-West-Africa coup corridor, Madagascar’s takeover highlights how governance failures and socio-economic crises can trigger military intervention.

5. MALI 

Coup Dates: August 2020, May 2021

Leader: Colonel Assimi Goïta

Mali has faced two coups within a year, both justified by claims of government corruption and failure to tackle insurgencies.

Colonel Goïta dissolved the civilian-led transitional government and consolidated military power. The junta later postponed elections until 2077, virtually cementing indefinite military rule. Mali is now a central member of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

6. NIGER 

Coup Date: July 2023

Leader: General Abdourahamane Tchiani

Niger’s coup removed President Mohamed Bazoum, one of the region’s last elected leaders, citing deteriorating security. The takeover plunged the country into military rule.

Niger is one of the poorest nations globally, and the coup worsened an already fragile humanitarian landscape. It has since joined Burkina Faso and Mali in forming the AES.

7. SUDAN 

Coup Date: October 2021

Leader: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

Sudan’s coup halted a fragile democratic transition after the fall of Omar al-Bashir. But the power struggle between al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Hemedti’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into a full-scale civil war, which brought about each faction controlling different territories.

With more than 20 coups since independence, Sudan remains Africa’s most coup-prone nation. The ongoing conflict has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, affecting nearly 25 million people.