Date
Country
Event
Head of state or government
Coup leader(s)
Outcome
June 1957
Sudan
1957 Sudanese coup attempt
Abdallah Khalil
Abdel Rahman Ismail Kabeida
Coup failure
17 November 1959
1959 Sudanese coup attempt
Ibrahim Abboud
Coup failure
13 January 1963
Togo
1963 Togolese coup d'état
Sylvanus Olympio
Coup successful
28 October 1963
Dahomey
1963 Dahomeyan coup d'état
Hubert Maga
Christophe Soglo
Coup successful
17 February 1964
Gabon
1964 Gabonese coup d'état
Léon M'ba
Coup briefly successful; M'ba restored following French intervention
31 December 1965 – 1 January 1966
Central African Republic
Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état
David Dacko
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Coup successful
3 January 1966
Upper Volta
1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état
Maurice Yaméogo
Sangoulé Lamizana
Coup successful
16 January 1966
Nigeria
1966 Nigerian coup d'état
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Coup failure
24 February 1966
Ghana
1966 Ghanaian coup d'état
Kwame Nkrumah
Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka
Coup successful
28 July 1966
Nigeria
1966 Nigerian counter-coup
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Murtala Muhammed
Coup successful
13 January 1967
Togo
1967 Togolese coup d'état
Nicolas Grunitzky
Étienne Eyadéma
Coup successful
21 March 1967
Sierra Leone
First 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état
Siaka Stevens
David Lansana
Coup successful
23 March 1967
Second 1967 Sierra Leone coup d'état
David Lansana
Andrew Juxon-Smith
Coup successful
18 April 1968
Sergeants' Coup
Andrew Juxon-Smith
John Amadu Bangura Siaka Stevens
Coup successful
18 November 1968
Mali
1968 Malian coup d'état
Modibo Keïta
Moussa Traoré
Coup successful
25 May 1969
Sudan
1969 Sudanese coup d'état
Ismail al-Azhari
Jaafar Nimeiry
Coup successful
24 March 1971
Sierra Leone
1971 Sierra Leone coup attempt
Siaka Stevens
John Amadu Bangura
Coup failure
19 –22 July 1971
Sudan
1971 Sudanese coup d'état
Jaafar Nimeiry
Hashem al Atta
Coup briefly successful; Nimeiry restored following counter-coup
13 January 1972
Ghana
1972 Ghanaian coup d'état
Kofi Abrefa Busia
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong
Coup successful
26 October 1972
Dahomey
1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état
Presidential Council
Mathieu Kérékou
Coup successful
15 April 1974
Niger
1974 Nigerien coup d'état
Hamani Diori
Seyni Kountché
Coup successful
13 –15 April 1975
Chad
1975 Chadian coup d'état
N’Garta Tombalbaye
Noël Milarew Odingar Wadel Abdelkader Kamougué
Coup successful
29 July 1975
Nigeria
1975 Nigerian coup d'état
Yakubu Gowon
Joseph Nanven Garba Murtala Muhammed
Coup successful
13 February 1976
1976 Nigerian coup attempt
Murtala Muhammed
Buka Suka Dimka
Coup failure; Muhammed assassinated
2 –5 July 1976
Sudan
1976 Sudanese coup attempt
Jaafar Nimeiry
Sadiq al-Mahdi Muhammad Nour Saad
Coup failure
17 January 1977
People's Republic of Benin
1977 Benin coup attempt
Mathieu Kérékou
Bob Denard
Coup failure
10 July 1978
Mauritania
1978 Mauritanian coup d'état
Moktar Ould Daddah
Mustafa Ould Salek
Coup successful
6 April 1979
1979 Mauritanian coup d'état
Mustafa Ould Salek
Coup successful
21 September 1979
Central African Empire
Operation Caban
Bokassa I
David Dacko
Operation successful
12 April 1980
Liberia
1980 Liberian coup d'état
William Tolbert
Samuel Doe
Coup successful
14 November 1980
Guinea-Bissau
1980 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état
Luís Cabral
João Bernardo Vieira
Coup successful
25 November 1980
Upper Volta
1980 Upper Volta coup d'état
Sangoulé Lamizana
Saye Zerbo
Coup successful
16 March 1981
Mauritania
1981 Mauritanian coup attempt
Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Ahmed Salim Ould Sidi
Coup failure
30 July – 4 August 1981
The Gambia
1981 Gambian coup attempt
Dawda Jawara
Kukoi Sanyang
Coup failure following Senegalese intervention
1 September 1981
Central African Republic
1981 Central African Republic coup d'état
David Dacko
André Kolingba
Coup successful
31 December 1981
Ghana
1981 Ghanaian coup d'état
Hilla Limann
Jerry Rawlings
Coup successful
3 March 1982
Central African Republic
1982 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt
André Kolingba
Ange-Félix Patassé
Coup failure
7 November 1982
Upper Volta
1982 Upper Voltan coup d'état
Say Zerbo
Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
Coup successful
28 February 1983
1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état attempt
Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
Saye Zerbo
Coup failure
4 August 1983
1983 Upper Voltan coup d'état
Thomas Sankara
Coup successful
31 December 1983
Nigeria
1983 Nigerian coup d'état
Shehu Shagari
Muhammadu Buhari
Coup successful
3 April 1984
Guinea
1984 Guinean coup d'état
Louis Lansana Beavogui
Lansana Conté
Coup successful
April 1984
Cameroon
1984 Cameroonian coup attempt
Paul Biya
Coup failure
12 December 1984
Mauritania
1984 Mauritanian coup d'état
Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
Coup successful
6 April 1985
Sudan
1985 Sudanese coup d'état
Jaafar Nimeiry
Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab
Coup successful
27 August 1985
Nigeria
1985 Nigerian coup d'état
Muhammadu Buhari
Ibrahim Babangida
Coup successful
12 November 1985
Liberia
1985 Liberian coup d'état attempt
Samuel Doe
Thomas Quiwonkpa
Coup failure
23 September 1986
Togo
1986 Togolese coup attempt
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Coup failure
23 March 1987
Sierra Leone
1987 Sierra Leonean coup d'état attempt
Joseph Saidu Momoh
Francis Minah
Coup failure
15 October 1987
Burkina Faso
1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état
Thomas Sankara
Blaise Compaoré
Coup successful
30 June 1989
Sudan
1989 Sudanese coup d'état
Ahmed al-Mirghani
Omar al-Bashir
Coup successful
18 September 1989
Burkina Faso
1989 Burkina Faso coup attempt
Blaise Compaoré
Coup failure
22 April 1990
Nigeria
1990 Nigerian coup attempt
Ibrahim Babangida
Gideon Orkar
Coup failure
3 December 1990
Chad
1990 Chadian coup d'état
Hissène Habré
Idriss Déby
Coup successful
26 March 1991
Mali
1991 Malian coup d'état
Moussa Traoré
Amadou Toumani Touré
Coup successful
29 April 1992
Sierra Leone
1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état
Joseph Saidu Momoh
Valentine Strasser
Coup successful
17 November 1993
Nigeria
1993 Nigerian coup d'état
Ernest Shonekan
Sani Abacha
Coup successful
22 July 1994
The Gambia
1994 Gambian coup d'état
Dawda Jawara
Yahya Jammeh
Coup successful
27 January 1996
Niger
1996 Nigerien coup d'état
Mahamane Ousmane
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Coup successful
9 April 1999
1999 Nigerien coup d'état
Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara
Daouda Malam Wanké
Coup successful
24 December 1999
Ivory Coast
1999 Ivorian coup d'état
Henri Konan Bédié
Tuo Fozié
Coup successful
15 March 2003
Central African Republic
2003 Central African Republic coup d'état
Ange-Félix Patassé
François Bozizé
Coup successful
8 –9 June 2003
Mauritania
2003 Mauritanian coup attempt
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
Saleh Ould Hanenna
Coup failure
14 September 2003
Guinea-Bissau
2003 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état
Kumba Ialá
Veríssimo Correia Seabra
Coup successful
7 October 2003
Burkina Faso
2003 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt
Blaise Compaoré
Luther Diapagri Oualy
Coup failure
16 May 2004
Chad
2004 Chadian coup attempt
Idriss Déby
Bechir Haggar
Coup failure
5 February 2005
Togo
2005 Togolese coup d'état
Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba
Coup successful
3 August 2005
Mauritania
2005 Mauritanian coup d'état
Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya
Coup successful
14 March 2006
Chad
2006 Chadian coup attempt
Idriss Déby
Tom Erdimi Timane Erdimi Seby Aguid
Coup failure
6 August 2008
Mauritania
2008 Mauritanian coup d'état
Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
Coup successful
23 December 2008
Guinea
2008 Guinean coup d'état
Aboubacar Somparé
Moussa Dadis Camara
Coup successful
18 February 2010
Niger
2010 Nigerien coup d'état
Mamadou Tandja
Salou Djibo
Coup successful
16 July 2011
2011 Nigerien coup d'état attempt
Mahamadou Issoufou
Coup failure
21 March 2012
Mali
2012 Malian coup d'état
Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Sanogo
Coup successful
23 –24 March 2013
Central African Republic
Battle of Bangui (2013)
François Bozizé
Michel Djotodia
Séléka victory
1 May 2013
Chad
2013 Chadian coup attempt
Idriss Déby
Moussa Tao Mahamat
Coup failure
3 November 2014
Burkina Faso
2014 Burkina Faso uprising
Blaise Compaoré
Uprising successful
30 December 2014
The Gambia
2014 Gambian coup attempt
Yahya Jammeh
Lamin Sanneh
Coup failure
16 September 2015
Burkina Faso
2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt
Michel Kafando
Gilbert Diendéré
Coup failure
7 January 2019
Gabon
2019 Gabonese coup attempt
Ali Bongo Ondimba
Kelly Ondo Obiang
Coup failure
11 April 2019
Sudan
2019 Sudanese coup d'état
Omar al-Bashir
Coup successful
18 August 2020
Mali
2020 Malian coup d'état
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Coup successful
31 March 2021
Niger
2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt
Mohamed Bazoum
Sani Saley Gourouza
Coup failure
20 April 2021
Chad
Death of Idriss Déby
Vacant
Mahamat Déby
Mahamat Déby takes office as leader of a military junta. Regarded as a coup by regional opposition.
24 May 2021
Mali
2021 Malian coup d'état
Bah Ndaw
Assimi Goïta
Coup successful
5 September 2021
Guinea
2021 Guinean coup d'état
Alpha Condé
Mamady Doumbouya
Coup successful
25 October 2021
Sudan
2021 Sudanese coup d'état
Abdalla Hamdok
Coup successful
23 January 2022
Burkina Faso
January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état
Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
Coup successful
30 September 2022
September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
Ibrahim Traoré
Coup successful
15 April 2023
Sudan
War in Sudan (2023–present)
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
Hemedti
Inconclusive; led to civil war [ 29] [ 30] [ 31]
26 July 2023
Niger
2023 Nigerien coup d'état
Mohamed Bazoum
Coup successful
31 July 2023
Sierra Leone
2023 Sierra Leone coup plot
Julius Maada Bio
Mohammed Yetey Turay
Coup failure
30 August 2023
Gabon
2023 Gabonese coup d'état
Ali Bongo Ondimba
Brice Oligui
Coup successful
26 September 2023
Burkina Faso
2023 Burkina Faso coup attempt
Ibrahim Traoré
Abdoul Aziz Aouoba Cheikh Hamza Ouattara Christophe Maïga Sekou Ouedraogo Boubacar Keïta
Coup failure
26 November 2023
Sierra Leone
2023 Sierra Leone coup attempt
Julius Maada Bio
Dissident military officers, unidentified militants and prisoners
Coup failure
1 December 2023
Guinea-Bissau
2023 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état attempt
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Victor Tchongo
Coup failure
20 May 2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo
2024 Democratic Republic of the Congo coup attempt
Félix Tshisekedi
Christian Malanga
Coup failure