MILITARY COUPS: IS DEMOCRACY FAILING IN AFRICA?

MILITARY COUPS: IS DEMOCRACY FAILING IN AFRICA?

BY COLLINS OPUROZOR

“It was not the military that caused military rule by intervening in politics in Africa. Rather, it was the character of politics that degenerated into warfare thereby propelling the experts in war to lead role. These profound words by the late Nigerian political scientist, Professor Claude Ake, spoken over three decades ago, remain hauntingly relevant as Africa grapples with a resurgence of military takeovers.

The observation cuts to the heart of the continent’s democratic crisis, shifting the burden of responsibility from military adventurism to the failures of civilian governance.

As coup after coup rocks African nations, we must confront an uncomfortable truth: the military does not seize power in a vacuum; they step into voids created by leaders who have betrayed the democratic mandate entrusted to them by their people.

The past few years have witnessed an alarming wave of military interventions across the African continent, shattering hopes of democratic consolidation. In 2021, Guinea experienced a coup when Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Condé, who had controversially amended the constitution to extend his tenure. Chad saw the military seize power following President Idriss Déby’s death, with his son leading a transitional military council. Sudan’s fragile transition collapsed when General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the civilian-military power-sharing arrangement. Mali experienced its second coup in nine months when Colonel Assimi Goïta ousted the transitional civilian leaders.

In 2022, Burkina Faso witnessed two separate coups, first in January when Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, and again in September when Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power from Damiba himself. Most recently, Guinea-Bissau faced a coup, while Benin Republic joined this troubling list just today, marking a disturbing pattern across West and Central Africa.

These interventions share common threads that validate Professor Ake’s assessment. In virtually every case, the coups were preceded by contested elections, constitutional manipulations, endemic corruption, deteriorating security situations, and profound economic hardship.

In Guinea, President Condé’s decision to alter the constitution to seek a third term triggered widespread protests and international condemnation, creating the political instability that invited military intervention. Mali and Burkina Faso were drowning in jihadist insurgencies that their civilian governments appeared powerless to contain, with soldiers dying on the frontlines while feeling abandoned by their political leadership. Sudan’s power-sharing arrangement collapsed under the weight of competing ambitions and the military’s unwillingness to cede control.

These are not merely military problems; they are fundamentally failures of democratic governance and political leadership. The root causes of this democratic backsliding lie in the betrayal of the social contract between some African leaders and their citizens.

Democracy was embraced across the continent in the 1990s with tremendous hope and enthusiasm, as people believed it would deliver them from decades of authoritarian rule and economic stagnation. However, too many African leaders have treated democracy as merely an electoral ritual rather than a system of accountable governance. In many parts of Africa, elections have become exercises in manipulation rather than genuine expressions of popular will. Political parties have degenerated into ethnic or regional vehicles for accessing state resources rather than ideological platforms for national development. The party system, which should provide stable frameworks for political competition and succession, remains sorely weak and unbelievably personalized.

When elections are rigged, when constitutions are amended to perpetuate incumbency, when political plurality is muzzled, and when young people see no future, the very foundations of democratic legitimacy become questionable.

Furthermore, the failure to address the most basic needs of citizens has created fertile ground for military intervention. Hunger and squalor, as rightly noted, remain the most ancient oppressors of man. Across Africa, millions live in desperate poverty despite the continent’s vast natural resources. Youth unemployment rates are staggering, with educated young people unable to find work or see pathways to prosperity. Healthcare systems are collapsing, forcing the wealthy to seek treatment abroad while the poor die from preventable diseases.

In many African countries, educational infrastructure is crumbling, producing graduates ill-equipped for modern economies. Security has deteriorated, with citizens feeling abandoned by their governments as criminal gangs operate with impunity.

When military officers stage coups citing these very failures and promising to address them, they often receive popular support from citizens exhausted by incompetent and corrupt civilian rule.

Yet, it must be emphasized unequivocally that military rule is not the answer to Africa’s governance challenges. History provides overwhelming evidence that military governments, despite their promises, rarely deliver sustainable development or genuine democratic transformation. Military regimes lack the legitimacy that comes from popular consent; they operate outside constitutional frameworks, and often prove even more corrupt than the civilian governments they replace. This explains why in the aftermath of the coup that removed Kwame Nkurumah from power in Ghana, the celebrated novelist, Ayi Kwei Armah wrote “The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born”.

Military juntas stifle political debate, suppress civil society, and create environments of fear rather than freedom. The worst democracy, with all its imperfections and frustrations, remains superior to the best military dictatorship because it preserves the possibility of peaceful change, the promise of civil liberties, and holds leaders accountable through periodic elections.

Africa’s destiny cannot be realized through bullets but through ballots. It can be realized through the patient building of strong institutions and democratic cultures that outlast individual leaders.

The path forward requires a fundamental reimagining of political leadership across Africa. Leaders must recognize that they owe their citizens more than empty promises and electoral victories. They have a sacred responsibility to educate their people, ensuring quality education that prepares young Africans for the future. They must heal the sick by investing in healthcare systems that serve all citizens, not just the elite. They must provide security, protecting citizens from both external threats and internal violence. They must create economic environments where everyone can achieve their potential, where entrepreneurship is encouraged, where jobs are created, and where talent is rewarded regardless of ethnic or regional origin.

Above all, African leaders must stamp out the corruption that siphons away resources meant for development, that destroys public trust, and that ironically makes state power attractive to military officers seeking to enrich themselves.

Democracy remains the best system of political organization yet devised by humanity, but it requires constant nurturing, strong institutions, and leaders committed to its principles. Africa’s democratic project will succeed. However, the political elite must prioritize the welfare of their citizens over personal enrichment. The electoral processes must be free and fair. The constitutions must be respected rather than manipulated. The institutions must be strengthened to outlast individual personalities.

The current wave of military coups is not a death knell for democracy in Africa, but a wake-up call. African leaders must heed Professor Ake’s wisdom: it is not the military that creates military rule, but the degeneration of politics into warfare. By recommitting to genuine democratic governance, by delivering tangible improvements in citizens’ lives, and by building robust institutions that constrain power and ensure accountability, Africa can break this cycle of military intervention and finally realize its vast potential through democratic means.