Re-Emergence of Coup D’états and Political Change in Africa

Explaining the Theoretical and Empirical Connections

Abstract

This paper examines political undercurrents of the re-emergence of military interventions in politics in Africa. The main aim of the paper is to ascertain the theoretical and empirical connection of military interventions in politics in Africa. Situated in the context of political modernization philosophy, this paper posits that the military appropriated its centrality of command structure, differentiation and specialization as well as popular identification in diverse ways as part of their strategies to control political power in Africa. Empirically, we employed desk-based research design based on the qualitative approach to research. Thus, we draw mainly on textual data collected through remote research methods, namely, desk research and distant observations we made on the ground. The analysis of the data is informed by emerging critical political analysis of the recent military coups in Africa, particularly in Chad, Sudan, Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, it is sad though to note that civil society in many of the African countries has become so cowed that the voices of reason have become relatively silent in the midst of undemocratic dispositions by some African leaders and ruling class. Some African leaders are flouting constitutional term limits which has received wide public reaction across Africa and the world. The upshot of our analysis is therefore that, Africa’s emerging democracy, and elections are under threat. Hence, members of the armed forces who pride themselves as custodians or restorers of constitutional order and governance in Africa act on the rhetoric that democratic principles will be better upheld or served by their direct involvement in the administration of the State as in the case of Mali in 2019, Guinea in 2021 and Burkina Faso in 2022 in the West African sub-region. The paper concludes and recommends that critical stakeholders need to act proactively and in concert to structurally address the putative democratic deficits obviously eroding the dividends of democracy and the socio-economic aspirations of ordinary Africans.