In Summary
- States with the highest coup frequency share a pattern of divided command, where presidential guards, paramilitary units, and rival army factions compete for authority.
- The outcome of many coups depends less on domestic grievances and more on military and diplomatic support from foreign governments and international networks.
- Successful coups rarely end with a change of leadership alone; they reshape constitutions, restructure armed forces, and embed military authority in civilian governance for generations.
Deep Dive!!
Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, September 22 – Since independence, African states have recorded more than 200 coup attempts, with over half of them successful. This scale is unmatched in any other region and has had lasting consequences for political development. In countries where coups have occurred repeatedly, they have not only changed governments but also weakened institutions and hardened divisions within the state.
The recurrence of coups cannot be reduced to a single cause. In many cases, militaries inherited oversized roles in governance during colonial transitions, leaving them as the only institutions capable of asserting power during moments of crisis. Economic shocks, contested elections, and unresolved conflicts have often provided the immediate triggers, while external actors have sometimes reinforced the cycle by backing rival factions.
However, coups have also been moments of political reordering. They have produced new constitutions, altered the role of the military in society, and forced debates on legitimacy and state authority. Tracing the states with the highest number of coups by early 2025 not only recounts histories but also exposes the structural vulnerabilities that continue to shape African politics, highlighting the resilience of societies that, despite repeated ruptures, continue to push for more stable governance.
Across the decades, patterns emerge that explain why certain states experience repeated coups while others remain relatively stable. The intensity of military involvement in politics, the competition for natural resources, and the absence of strong civilian oversight have all been decisive. At the same time, societies facing chronic political disruption have developed unique forms of resilience, grassroots movements, constitutional reforms, and regional mediation efforts that reflect a continuing struggle to build durable political orders. These layered dynamics set the stage for a closer examination of the countries where coups have occurred most frequently up to 2025.
10. Nigeria
Nigeria’s political history has been marked by nine coups and attempted coups, beginning with the January 1966 overthrow of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s government. That initial intervention, carried out by young officers, set the precedent for the military’s repeated involvement in state affairs. The counter-coup of July 1966 deepened regional divisions and led directly to the civil war. Over subsequent decades, successive takeovers brought figures such as Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, and Ibrahim Babangida into power. The last full-scale military regime ended in 1999, but incidents such as the disrupted plot in Oyo State in April 2024 show that attempts, though less frequent and less organized, have not entirely disappeared.
The persistence of coups in Nigeria is tied to structural conditions. The army’s early role as a political actor normalized intervention and gave officers a taste of power that repeatedly drew them back into governance. Control of oil revenues turned the state into a prize, amplifying competition within both the political elite and the military hierarchy. Ethnic and regional fault lines added another layer of fragility, as alignments within the armed forces often mirrored national divides. These factors created an environment where coups were not exceptional interruptions but recurring instruments in political contestation.
Reforms since 1999 have shifted this trajectory. Civilian oversight has been strengthened through legislative scrutiny of defence affairs and greater budgetary transparency. The judiciary and civil society have become more assertive in resisting unconstitutional changes. Importantly, the military itself has increasingly emphasized its professional identity, distancing its corporate image from the political entanglements of earlier decades. The swift response to the 2024 Oyo incident arrests, prosecutions, and public condemnation by senior officers underscored this evolution. Nigeria’s past remains heavily shaped by its coup experience, but its institutions now demonstrate greater resilience against the cycle of military intervention.
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has experienced nine major coups and coup attempts since independence, reflecting its turbulent post-colonial history. The first occurred on September 14, 1960, when Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, later known as Mobutu Sese Seko, overthrew Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba amid Cold War tensions and internal political fragmentation. Mobutu solidified power with another coup on November 25, 1965, removing President Joseph Kasa-Vubu and establishing a long-lasting authoritarian regime. These early coups were closely tied to both political instability and external influences, including Cold War rivalries that shaped the DRC’s leadership transitions.
Subsequent coups and attempts during Mobutu’s rule and afterward illustrate continued challenges to central authority. On May 16, 1997, Laurent-Désiré Kabila overthrew Mobutu, marking the end of the First Congo War and Mobutu’s 32-year rule. The post-Mobutu period saw several failed coup attempts: on March 28, 2004, former elite members of Mobutu’s protection unit attempted to seize power in Kinshasa, and on June 11, 2004, Eric Lenge planned a coup against Joseph Kabila, both of which were suppressed. Additional attempts occurred on February 27, 2011, against Kabila, and on December 30, 2013, involving followers of Paul Joseph Mukungubila, demonstrating the persistence of armed opposition even after regime change.
More recent events highlight ongoing political fragility. On February 8, 2022, an alleged coup was reported against President Félix Tshisekedi, followed by another attempt on May 19, 2024, by members of the New Zaire Movement. These attempts, though unsuccessful, reflect enduring factionalism, weak institutional control, and the lingering influence of armed groups in Congolese politics. Overall, the DRC’s nine coups and attempts underscore the central role of military and political factions in shaping leadership transitions, with periods of both violent overthrow and failed conspiracies punctuating the country’s post-independence history.
8. Burundi
Burundi has experienced nine recorded coups and attempted coups since independence, reflecting the country’s long-standing political instability and military influence. The first significant event occurred on October 18–19, 1965, when a failed coup targeted King Mwambutsa IV, setting a precedent for military interventions in political transitions. This was followed by July 8, 1966, when Ntare V overthrew Mwambutsa IV, only to be deposed himself later that year on November 28, 1966, by Michel Micombero, who established a republic. These early coups marked the shift from monarchical to republican rule and established a pattern of military dominance in Burundian politics.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Burundi experienced further coups as the military consolidated power. On November 10, 1976, Jean-Baptiste Bagaza overthrew Michel Micombero, and on September 3, 1987, Pierre Buyoya ousted Bagaza. These transitions, often bloodless at the top leadership level, nonetheless involved the restructuring of political authority and the suppression of dissent. The assassination of Melchior Ndadaye during a failed coup from October 21 to November 1993 highlighted the severe ethnic and political tensions underlying Burundian coups, as the first democratically elected Hutu president was violently removed by elements of the Tutsi-dominated military.
The late 20th and early 21st centuries continued to see attempted coups and leadership interventions. On July 25, 1996, Pierre Buyoya returned to power by overthrowing Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, followed by a failed coup on April 18, 2001, targeting Buyoya. The most recent recorded attempt occurred from May 13–15, 2015, when General Godefroid Niyombare led a failed coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza, highlighting ongoing tensions between military factions and the executive. Throughout these events, Burundi’s coups have been closely tied to both ethnic dynamics and political instability, with the military repeatedly acting as a decisive arbiter of power, while the country’s democratic institutions remained vulnerable to intervention.
7. South Africa
South Africa has experienced ten coup events and attempts throughout its history, spanning the pre-colonial, apartheid-era, and post-apartheid periods. In the 19th century, political upheavals began in the Zulu Kingdom, with September 24, 1828, marking Dingane’s deposition of Shaka Zulu, and 1840, when Mpande overthrew Dingane with Boer support. In the South African Republic (Transvaal), on December 6, 1860, Stephanus Schoeman ousted Johannes Hermanus Grobler, reflecting early internal political struggles within settler republics. These coups set a precedent for military and factional interventions in regional governance.
During the apartheid era, coups were concentrated in the homelands and Bantustans. In Transkei, Bantu Holomisa overthrew Stella Sigcau on December 30, 1987, followed by a failed coup led by Colonel Craig Duli on November 22, 1990. In Bophuthatswana, a short-lived coup on February 10, 1988, installed Rocky Malebane-Metsing, but it was quickly reversed by the South…
