Gabon coup: Di latest for many military takeovers for di continent

Military coups dey common for parts of Africa since years afta independence. But afta a period of relative democratic stability, indications dey say dis tin don dey rise.

Di takeova for Gabon na just di latest for coup wey don happun for Africa in recent years, and e dey happun one month afta soldiers take control for Niger.

Two bin happun for Burkina Faso for 2022 and one failed attempt for Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and di island nation of Sao Tome and Principe.

For 2021, six coup attempts happun for Africa, four of dem dey successful.

Last year, one senior African Union official, Moussa Faki Mahamat, express concern about di "return of unconstitutional changes of goment".

Wen coup be coup?

Coup mean illegal and underground attempt by military - or by oda civilian officials - to remove leaders from power.

One study by two US researchers, Jonathan Powell and Clayton Thyne identify more dan 200 coup attempts for Africa since 1950s. About half of dem bin dey successful.

Sometimes, pipo wey dey follow do dis kain intervention dey deny say na coup.

For 2017 for Zimbabwe, one military takeover end Robert Mugabe 37 years rule.

But one of di leaders, Maj Gen Sibusiso Moyo, show for television dat time, tok say no be military takeova.

For April 2021 afta di death of di Chad president, Idriss Déby, di army put im son as interim president and dis one lead to transitional military council. Im opponent call am "dynasty coup".

"Coup leaders dey almost everly deny say dia action na coup so dat dem go fit appear legit," Jonathan Powell tok.

How frequent coup dey happun for Africa?

Di total number of coup attempts for Africa don remain nearly steady wit like average of around four per year between 1960 and 2000.

Jonathan Powell tok say e no be surprise, sake of di instability wey many kontris dey experience since afta independence.

"African kontris get conditions wey make coup common, like poverty and poor economic performance. Wen kontri get one coup, dat one na sign for more coups".

For di years wey follow 2000, e come be like say military interventions bin reduce.

Na only dis last few years coups happun well well.

For 2020, na just one coup happun (in Mali).

Den for 2021 five kontris experience military interventions (Chad, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Niger).

For 2022, five attempts also experience am, wit two - both for Burkina Faso - wey succeed.

Ndubuisi Christian Ani from di University of KwaZulu-Natal tok say popular protest against long-serving dictators provide opportunity for di return of coups for Africa.

"While popular protest dey legit and na pipo dey lead am, di decisions wey di military take na im go determine di success," e tok.

Which kontris get di highest number of coups?

Na Sudan get di highest number of coups and attempted takeovas wey equal to 16 - six of dem dey successful.

For 2019, dem comot Omar al-Bashir wey don lead di kontri for long time from power afta months of protests. Bashir imself bin takeova for one military coup for 1989.

Burkina Faso for West Africa, get di most successful coups, wit nine takeovers and one failed coup.

Nigeria get reputation for military coups afta independence wit eight coups between January 1966 and di takeover by Gen Sani Abacha in 1993.

However, since 1999 transfers of power for Africa's most populous nation na by election.

Burundi history get k-leg from eleven separate coups, na di tensions between di Hutu and Tutsi communities dey mostly cause am.

Sierra Leone experience three coups between 1967 and 1968, and anoda one for 1971. Between 1992 and 1997, e experience five more coup attempts.

Ghana don also get dia share of military coups, wit eight coup inside twenty year.

Di first na for 1966, wen dem remove Kwame Nkrumah from power, and in di following year, unsuccessful attempt by junior army officers dey.

For 2021, di UN Secretary-General António Guterres tok say "military coups don come back," and im add say "geo-political divisions dey affect international co-operation and... sense of impunity dey hold," e tok.

Overall, Africa don experience more coups dan any oda continent. Of di 18 coups wey dem record from all over di world since 2017, all but one - Myanmar for 2021 - na for Africa.