Mali Defense Forces conduct a rehearsal of a concept drill | Credit: U.S. Army
Coup Contagion in Africa: A Timeline
Over the past 21 months, a concerning trend has emerged in West Africa known as “Coup Contagion.” As pro-Western and anti-jihadist governments fall to military juntas, there is concern that the recent coups–in Mali, Chad, Niger, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau–could compound the already fragile security crises in the Sahel and have ripple effects across the continent.
This coup contagion timeline chronicles the eight attempted and successful coups of the past year and a half, including key figures and critical historical events. It seeks to provide a side-by-side visual display where viewers can visualize the events in succession. Events appear in order of occurrence, and to remain relevant and limit confusion, the bounds of the timeline begin in 1990 and end in the present.
