The Complex Reality of African Coups: Beyond Pathologizing

Editorial: The Complex Reality of African Coups: Beyond Pathologizing

The recent successful coup in Gabon, a country with a history of electoral controversies, has once again drawn attention to the issue of military takeovers in Africa. It marks the 22nd coup attempt on the continent since 2013, with 11 of them succeeding, including the notable case of Robert Mugabe's ouster in Zimbabwe in 2017. Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger Republic, and Sudan have also witnessed successful military coups in recent years. This trend raises concerns and calls for a deeper examination of the issue.

The international community often pathologizes coups in Africa, describing them as an "epidemic" or "contagion." However, this perspective rests on several problematic assumptions.

First, not all coups are the same. While some military takeovers are the result of power grabs and a desire to maintain control, others, like Sudan's ousting of Omar al-Bashir in 2019, followed popular uprisings that made the country ungovernable under his rule. These distinctions matter and should be considered when evaluating the legitimacy and implications of a coup.

Second, the assumption that only the military executes coups overlooks civilian rulers who manipulate constitutional orders under which they were installed. In Guinea, former President Alpha Condé orchestrated a violent referendum in 2020 to secure his indefinite rule, largely unchecked by the international community. When the military eventually overthrew him in 2021, the international response called for a "restoration of constitutional order," but the constitutional order had been dismantled long before.

The third problematic assumption is that every civilian government overthrown by the military is both legitimate and a democracy. The case of Gabon illustrates how this attitude can undermine democracy's credibility. Ali Bongo's election in 2016 was marred by allegations of fraud, with his winning margin largely coming from a region that reported an impossible 99 percent turnout. While the EU raised concerns about the election's flaws, the African Union focused on post-election violence rather than addressing the core issues of the electoral process.

In the Gabonese context, the recent coup did not overthrow a legitimate democracy but rather ousted a dynasty that had manipulated the democratic process to retain power. It is essential to differentiate between genuine democratic processes and those that are used to perpetuate authoritarian rule.

The international community's response to military coups in Africa often lacks critical depth, leaving citizens with limited options: accepting illegitimate civilian rule or enduring messianic military misrule. Civilian leaders who manipulate elections to retain power can be as dangerous as coup leaders. Both categories of leaders undermine democratic principles and the rule of law.

To bring meaningful change, the international response should evolve. Treating civilian coups in Africa with the same sense of alarm reserved for military takeovers would be a step in the right direction. This shift could lead to greater success in addressing the root causes of political instability and fostering genuine democratic transitions across the continent.