Africa coups: Guinea-Bissau makes it 10 in five years

Niger junta leaders

The military takeover in Guinea-Bissau brings the number of coups on the turbulent continent of Africa in five years to 10. Here is a recap:

– Mali –

Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by five army colonels in August 2020.

In May 2021, the Malian military took over from the civilian leaders of an interim government.

Colonel Assimi Goita, who led both coups, is sworn in as transitional president.

After promising to hold elections in February 2024, the military put them off indefinitely, pointing to the jihadist violence plaguing the country.

In July 2025, Goita approves a law granting himself a five-year presidential mandate, renewable without election.

Since September, jihadists have launched a fuel blockade, weakening the junta.

– Guinea –

On September 5, 2021, mutinous troops led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya took over in Guinea, arresting President Alpha Condé.

Doumbouya, in early November 2025, submits his candidacy ahead of the December 28 elections that are meant to restore constitutional order.

– Sudan –

After weeks of tension between the military and civilian leaders who had shared power since the ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir, the armed forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan staged a new coup on October 25, 2021.

Since April 2023, war has raged between the regular armed forces led by Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.