Africa’s latest coup wave raises an uncomfortable question: why do military seizures of power appear as increasingly viable avenues to contest state authority? Especially ones in which successful juntas are…

Nearly a decade ago, in 2017, Africa in Fact ran a piece titled ‘Africa’s presidents and the term-limit controversy’. It described a strategy incumbent leaders used to cling to office…

When soldiers surrounded the presidential palace in Niger in July 2023 and detained President Mohamed Bazoum, many Nigeriens took to the streets in Niamey to celebrate the junta. Crowds waved…

In August this year, the 46th Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government will convene in Durban. Held annually, the summit is the…

Africa has witnessed a recent upsurge in unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs), mostly in the form of military coups d’état. Since August 2020, the continent has experienced seven military coups…

Picture a coup leader in full military uniform, seated across from regional heads of state in a formal diplomatic setting, not condemned from a distance, but engaged as a legitimate…