Are Africa’s relentless coups eroding democracy?

By the end of October, Sudan’s power-sharing agreement between military leaders and Sudanese civilians was halted as the military seized power and dissolved the civilian government led by prime minister Abdalla Hamdok.

The coup was headed by general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Burhan said the coup was to avoid ‘civil war’, but international bodies condemned the act. The World Bank suspended its aid to Sudan and the African Union has pulled its membership until its civilian government is restored.

What are the consequences of these coups?

Sub-Saharan African countries that experience coups usually suffer economic hits, damaged international relations, and face global questioning of their democracies.

Most coup leaders claim to fight for people’s democracy, attempting to do away with bad governance and to better their country’s regime for prosperity.

According to the Afrobarometer report during the Mali coup in 2020, however, even if citizens appear to accept military interventions in the short term, they reject military rule as a system of government.

To that end, African democracy has not made enough international diplomatic progress to prevent eventually sliding back into authoritarian rule. The quality of the electoral process and the legitimacy, accountability, and performance of leaders are constantly questioned by African citizens, making it difficult to establish long-term stability.

Africa’s economy has worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic, too. According to the African Union, it is estimated that more than half of Africa’s population is living under extreme poverty. As a result, desperate youths support coup leaders for radical change, having lost trust and hope in their democratically elected leaders to create employment.

What does the future hold?

During these coups, Africa’s economic development is at stake. Populations are also at risk as countries descend into chaos – property is destroyed and lives are lost.

World leaders and international bodies are not doing enough to halt growing unrest. Keep in mind too that some Western countries support and sponsor certain coups with financial aid, infrastructure, and trade agreements in favour of better relations and resource benefits.

If the detrimental effects of coups are to be reversed, it lies with African leaders. Greed seems to be the priority for many politicians, who appear more interested in extending term limits and clinging to power, inadvertently fueling motivation for civil unrest and snowballing the severity of the situation.

Until the intentions of leaders become more civilian focused, it’s unlikely that coups will stop altogether. For now, we’ll have to see how things develop as the pandemic plays out.