Coup Belt

The Coup Belt (French: la ceinture de coups d’État) is a modern geopolitical neologism to describe the region of West Africa and the Sahel that has a high prevalence of coups d'état. The term likely originated from when coups were staged in the region's countries beginning in the early 2020s, including in Mali in 2020 and 2021, Guinea, Chad, and Sudan in 2021, two in Burkina Faso in January and September in 2022, and in Niger in 2023. The region also saw attempted coups in Niger and Sudan in 2021, Guinea–Bissau and The Gambia in 2022, and Sudan and Sierra Leone in 2023. After the 2023 Nigerien coup, these countries formed a continuous chain stretching between the east and west coasts of Africa. Since 1990, 78% of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have taken place in former French colonies. This has led some to question whether French influence in Africa has a destabilising impact. The military juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger cancelled military agreements that allowed for French troops to operate on their territory, and in the case of Mali, removed French as an official language. Niger was meant to host the French troops removed from Mali and Burkina Faso but the 2023 Nigerien crisis and cancellation of military ties with France has complicated this arrangement. ECOWAS has tried to actively work on changing this label that is associated with the region, although unsuccessfully; they suspended Mali after their coup in 2021, and also suspended Guinea on 8 September 2021, shortly after a military coup took place in the country. The coups have been similar in nature; most came from dissatisfied militaries who criticised their respective government’s handling of Islamic insurgents or protests. The incoming juntas also tend to have worse relations with the West, with many seeking support from either Russia and the Wagner Group or Turkey instead of France, who helped the countries fight against Islamic insurgents through Operation Barkhane.