List by country, in alphabetical order

BURKINA FASO (Last coup: November 1, 2014)

Burkina Faso's Lt Col Isaac Zida named prime minister. Be declared himself head of state but on Tuesday oversaw the swearing-in of former Foreign Minister Michel Kafando as interim president. BC News, November 19, 2014: TEXT | PICTURES

Burkina Faso Swears in Interim President Michel Kafando. Kafando, one of five candidates, was chosen as part of a charter agreed after longstanding President Blaise Compaore was toppled by mass public protests on October 31. AllAfrica, November 18, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

Coup leader in Burkina Faso received U.S. military training. Lt. Col. Isaac Zida was twice selected to attend counterterrorism training programs sponsored by the U.S. government, U.S. military officials said. By Craig Whitlock, Washington Post, November 3, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

Burkina Faso opposition parties, African Union reject army takeover. Opposition parties and the African Union rejected the army's seizure of power in the West African country after the resignation of President Blaise Compaore, setting the stage for fresh protests. By Mathieu Bonkougou and Nadoun CouliBaly, Reuters, November 1, 2014: MULTIMEDIA

 

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (Last coups, 2013 | 2003)

Betrayed. The first South African soldiers to be killed in the Central African Republic were not gunned down by rebels but by mutinous government forces in revolt against President Francois Bozize. By Graeme Hosken, Schalk Mouton, and Poppy Louw, Times Live, March 27, 2013: TEXT | PICTURE

Bozize Falls And Zuma Fails In The CAR. South Africa will have to revise its training policies as well as its inventory of military hardware and deploy its intelligence services in such a manner that they have a better understanding of the threats faced by their conventional forces. By Michael Keating, African Arguments, Royal African Society, March 26, 2013: TEXT

Jacob Zuma: 13 South African soldiers killed in CAR. Thirteen South African soldiers were killed in the Central African Republic as rebels seized the capital over the weekend, President Jacob Zuma has said. BBC News, March 25, 2013: TEXT | PICTURE

Central African Republic: President Bozize flees Bangui. Rebels in the Central African Republic have taken the capital, Bangui, after President Francois Bozize fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo: BBC News, March 24, 2013: TEXT | PICTURE

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (Last coup: May 1997)

The End Of Mobutu's Dictatorship. here have been many symbolic changes: a new name for the country, a new flag, a new national anthem, new names for national roads, a new name for the national soccer team, and a new national currency. Report from Entraide Missionnaire, ReliefWeb, May 30, 1997: TEXT

Zaire Peace Drive a Coup for Mandela. President wins praise for prodding dictator Mobutu and rebel leader Kabila to meet on ship. By Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, May 09, 1997: TEXT

Kabila 'coup plot': DR Congo suspects acquitted in South Africa. A group of 15 men accused of plotting to assassinate the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, have been acquitted by a South African court due to lack of evidence. BBC News, November 28, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE

GUINEA (Last coup: September 5, 2021)

‘The president is with us,’ Guinea’s coup leader tells FRANCE 24 - Exckusive. In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, the head of Guinea’s elite army unit on Sunday confirmed the country’s president Alpha Condé was being held by his forces. France 24, September 6, 2021: VIDEO

Guinea coup: Military arrests president, dissolves government. Special forces say they dissolved the constitution and shut the country’s land and air borders. Al Jazeera, September 6, 2021: TEXT | VIDEOS

Elite Guinea army unit says it has toppled president. the elite army unit's head, Mamady Doumbouya, said "poverty and endemic corruption" had driven his forces to remove President Alpha Conde from office. By Saliou Samb, Reuters, September 6, 2021: TEXT | VIDEO | PICTURES

Guinea coup: Who is Col Mamady Doumbouya? Col Mamady Doumbouya is seen as the new man in charge of Guinea after he led a unit of elite soldiers to seize power on Sunday. BBC News, September 6, 2021: TEXT | PICTURES

Guinea Junta Plans Unity Government, Reassures Mining Firms. By Ougna Camara and Baudelaire Mieu, Bloomberg, September 6, 2021: TEXT

GUINEA-BISSAU (Last coup: September 14, 2003)

'Coup' in Guinea-Bissau. In a radio broadcast Lieutenant Colonel Jose Zamora Induta read a statement saying "there was no shooting". BBC News, September 14, 2003: TEXT | PICTURES

FOLLOWING GUINEA-BISSAU COUP D’ETAT, TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS CREATED AIMED AT ELECTED GOVERNMENT WITHIN 18 MONTHS, SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD. UN Security Council (SC/7883), 4834th Meeting (AM), September 29, 2003: TEXT

LESOTHO (Last attempted coup: August 30, 2014)

Lesotho 'coup' forces PM Thabane to South Africa. Reports say the capital, Maseru, is now calm after soldiers seized buildings. The army denied staging a coup. BBC News, August 30, 2014: TEXT | PICTURE | MAP

Lesotho: Was It a Coup? Lesotho Unsure Amid Political Crisis. From the safety of neighboring South Africa, the nation's prime minister Thomas Thabane said the action was a coup attempt and he feared for his life. But two days later, no figure has emerged to take power. By Anita Powell, the Voice of America, reprinted by AllAfrica, September 1, 2014: TEXT

 

MALI (Last coup: August 18, 2020)

Mali's President resigns after he was arrested in a military coup. By Melissa Bell, Mamadou Tapily, Zamira Rahim and Helen Regan, CNN, August 19, 2020: TEXT | PICTURES

Mali's coup leaders promise elections after detaining president and prime minister. France 24 (Video by Shirli Sitbon), August 19, 2020: TEXT | VIDEO

Mali Military Coup: Why the World Is Watching. Instability in the country is likely to ripple across West Africa and beyond. By By Eric Nagourney, The New York Times, August 19, 2020: TEXT | PICTURE

Mali coup condemned by global powers with major stakes in country’s security. Analysis: Last time there was a coup under similar circumstances, it saw large swathes of Mali occupied by Islamist forces, and the country is a key base for international operations across the Sahel. By Kim Sengupta, The Independent, August 19, 2020: TEXT | PICTURES

Official: Coup d'etat underway in Mali. The series of events began Wednesday morning at a military camp in the capital, during a visit by Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama. CBS/AP March 21, 2012: TEXT | PICTURES

Soldiers say they have seized power in Mali. Members of the newly formed National Committee for the Return of Democracy and the Restoration of the State (CNRDR) read a statement on state television saying they had taken over. By David Lewis and Tiemoko Diallo, Reuters, March 22, 2012: TEXT | ViDEO

Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Yesterday’s Attack against Mali’s President. United Nations, Secretary-General Statements and Messages, May 22, 2012: TEXT

Leader of Mali military coup trained in U.S. Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who led a renegade military faction, visited the United States several times to receive professional military education said Patrick Barnes, a U.S. Africa Command official. By Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post, March 24, 2012: TEXT | PICTURE

 

MAURITANIA (Last coups: 2008, 2005)

Mauritania coup condemned. General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz has said he will hold fresh elections following the overthrow of the country's first democratically-elected president. By Tim Neilson, BBC News, August 8, 2008: VIDEO

Troops stage coup in Mauritania. President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was held after he tried to dismiss the military's top commanders. BBC News, August 6, 2008: TEXT | VIDEO

Press divided on Mauritania coup. Palestinian commentators welcome the removal of an Arab goverment with ties to Israel. BBC News, August 4, 2005: TEXT | PICTURE

Mauritania officers 'seize power.' Mauritanian army officers have announced the overthrow of the country's president and creation of a military council to rule the country. BBC News, August 4, 2005: TEXT | PICTURE

Mauritania coup: Full statement. Following the coup in Mauritania, a group calling itself The Military Council for Justice and Democracy issued the following statement on the state news agency Ami. BBC News, August 3, 2005: TEXT

NIGER (Last attempted coup: December 2015 | Last coup: February 2010)

Niger government foiled attempted coup, president announces. Among those taken into custody were the former military chief of staff, Gen Souleymane Salou, and Lt Col Dan Haoua, head of the air force base in the capital Niamey. By Reuters, The Guardian, December 17, 2015: TEXT | PICTURE

Military coup ousts Niger president Mamadou Tandja. President Mamadou Tandja, in power for more than a decade in the uranium-rich nation, is believed to be in captivity at a military barracks. BBC News, February 19, 2010: TEXT | VIDEO

A Coup in Niger Adds to West Africa's Instability. Tensions have been simmering since last year, when the democratically elected Tandja suddenly assumed emergency powers and changed the constitution to extend his term. By Alex Perry, Time, February 19, 2010: TEXT | PICTURE

After a Coup, Niger Resumes Business as Usual With China. “Our diplomatic relations with China were not affected by the coup d’état,” said Mahaman Laouali Dan Dah, a spokesman for the military junta now running the country. By Adam Nossiterapril, The New York Times, April 24, 2010: TEXT | PICTURE | MAP

 

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE (Last coup: 2003) **TO BE ADDED**

TOGO (Last coup: 2004) **TO BE ADDED**

ZIMBABWE (Last coup: November 15, 2017)

Robert Mugabe's grip on Zimbabwe ebbing away after military takes control. The takeover by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed Mugabe, which had pitted his wife Grace against the former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. By Jason Burke, The Guardian, November 15, 2017: TEXT | PICTURES | MAP

Zimbabwe latest: What we know so far. BBC News, November 15, 2017: MULTIMEDIA