Event

The most recent headlines out of Africa have been dominated by the third wave of military coups in the “Francophone” African region of mainly West Africa. Indeed, it is reported that “eight governments have been overthrown in Francophone African countries in the past three years” (The Africa Report Posted on August 30, 2023, 12:32).

What explains this recent wave of coups in the region? Furthermore, what are the policy responses of the leading regional institution (ECOWAS) and the major foreign powers active in the region such as France (the European Union), Russia, China, and the US? Moreover, should these coups be given a chance to bring about their intended dividends, that is, the fostering of a genuine post French/Western hegemonic era in the region?

After establishing the inventory and typology of the coups of this third wave, the paper intends to provide an explanation and a critical analysis of their occurrence by summarizing the key theoretical arguments on the expected dividends of military coups, and by casting the relevance of these shattering political changes in the broader geostrategic stakes of World politics.