Coup D’état: List of African nations under military rule

Africa has experienced a wave of coups and military takeovers over the past five years, creating an unstable political landscape across several regions.

• Seven African nations are under military rule as of November 2025, with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger leading the list.
• Coups and prolonged transitions have replaced civilian governments across the continent.
• Political instability, security challenges, and postponed elections define these countries’ futures.
• Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar are the latest additions to Africa’s growing list of military regimes.

The recent takeover in Guinea-Bissau, where military officers announced they had seized “total control” on November 26, 2025, deposed the president and suspended the electoral process, adds yet another case to this worrying trend.

As of November 2025, seven countries remain under military rule, each with its own path, justification, and political tension.

Business Insider Africa breaks down the countries still governed by military authorities and the circumstances that led to their situation.

1. Mali

Mali’s return to entrenched military rule began with two coups in less than a year, the first in August 2020, which removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, followed by another in May 2021.

Colonel Assimi Goita, now a general, emerged as the central figure of the junta.

In 2025, the military leadership made its boldest move yet. Political parties were dissolved, and a new law granted Goita a five-year renewable mandate without elections.

This effectively pushed Mali into open-ended military governance with no clear timetable for democratic restoration.

The political space has shrunk further, and several opposition figures have either been detained or exiled.

For many Malians, the promise of stability remains distant as the country continues to battle insurgency, economic strain, and an opaque political future.

2. Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso experienced two swift coups in 2022, first bringing Lt Col Paul Henri Damiba to power, then placing Captain Ibrahim Traore at the helm after accusing the previous leader of failing to tackle insecurity.

Traore has since consolidated power and framed his leadership as a patriotic mission to defend the country from jihadist violence.

In 2024, a new transition charter was adopted, extending military rule by another 60 months from July that year.

With this extension, Burkina Faso is set to remain under junta control for several years.

Civil liberties remain constrained, political activity is restricted, and critics continue to report on growing authoritarian tendencies within the ruling military council.

3. Niger

Niger’s political order collapsed in July 2023 when General Abdourahmane Tchiani and the presidential guard ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

The takeover triggered strong sanctions and condemnation from African and global partners.

By March 2025, the junta adopted a transition charter that set a five-year timeline for returning to constitutional rule.

This move confirmed that Niger would not be heading back to elections soon. While the junta insists that its focus is on political stability and security, regional bodies argue that the prolonged transition undermines democratic gains.

Meanwhile, Niger continues to navigate strained international relations and a challenging economic environment.

4. Guinea (Guinea Conakry)

Guinea slipped into military rule in September 2021 when Colonel Mamady Doumbouya led a Special Forces unit to remove President Alpha Conde.

The junta initially committed to a structured transition, yet timelines have shifted repeatedly. In 2025, political uncertainty deepened.

The transitional government was dissolved, and Doumbouya announced intentions to run in future elections.

Opposition groups and international observers have expressed concern that the transition process is being manipulated to ensure the military retains control.

Despite pushback, the junta continues to hold firm, maintaining tight influence over Guinea’s political and security institutions.

5. Sudan

Sudan represents one of the most complicated military transitions on the continent.

The military seized control in October 2021, derailing a fragile civilian-military power-sharing arrangement.

By April 2023, the country had descended into a brutal civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.

With rival forces controlling different territories, Sudan has no functioning civilian government.

Each faction has set up its own administrative structures, further fragmenting state authority.

For civilians, the situation has become catastrophic. There are widespread reports of displacement, hunger, and human rights abuses.

Sudan’s military rule is therefore not a single junta but a fractured system in which armed groups operate de facto governments.

6. Madagascar

In October 2025, Madagascar dramatically joined the list of African countries under military rule. Following mass protests and the impeachment of President Andry Rajoelina, an elite military unit stepped in.

Colonel Michael Randrianirina announced that the armed forces were taking control and that he would assume the presidency.

The African Union suspended Madagascar in response, calling the change of government unconstitutional.

For now, the country is governed by a military-led transitional authority. Political parties and civil society groups have demanded negotiations to restore constitutional order, but the transition plan remains unclear and heavily contested.

7. Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau became the most recent addition in November 2025 when military officers declared on national television that they had deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

They dissolved the ongoing electoral process, suspended key institutions, and closed national borders.

A self-declared high command has since taken over, controlling state media and administrative organs.

ECOWAS and the African Union have condemned the coup, yet the military remains in firm control.

With institutions suspended and political uncertainty deepening, Guinea-Bissau faces another period of instability in its long history of coups.