 10 African leaders who came into power through military coup. While the recent coup in Niger is the most recent in Africa, it is not the first and will most likely not be the last. Military coups are nothing new on the African continent. Since 1950, Africa has experienced 214 attempted or successful coups, the most of any area, with 106 of them succeeding. While in power, some coup leaders were unable to do anything important because they were immediately deposed, others were able to transition into civilian presidents, and yet others were able to revolutionize their countries and, by extension, Africa. In this video, we'll look at a cross-section of 10 African leaders that rose to power through coups. Thomas Sankara One of the greatest African leaders to have ever lived, Thomas Sankara was a Marxist revolutionary and pan-Africanist, who served as president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. He was a charismatic and iconic leader, who transformed Burkina Faso during his four years as president and gave his life fighting neocolonialism. Often called Africa's Chigavara, Sankara came into power in 1983 after a coup was organized on his behalf while he was under house arrest. The coup was led by his friend Blaise Compeur, who was later found guilty of his murder. Sankara became president of the Republic of Upper Volta at the age of 33, launching social, ecological, and economic policies, and renaming the country Burkina Faso from the French colonial name Upper Volta. His foreign policy was anti-imperialist, and he refused funding from organizations like the International Monetary Fund. His internal policies included famine prevention, agrarian self-sufficiency, land reform, and the suspension of rural poll taxes, as well as a statewide literacy campaign and a meningitis, yellow fever, and measles vaccination program. He was greatly loved and respected by all as a true example of a great leader, until he was killed on October 15, 1987. Muammar Gaddafi The most popular on this list, Muammar Gaddafi was a Libyan revolutionary and African leader who transformed Libya, defied Western powers bodily, and tried to make Africa a state that would rival the West. He was an eager disciple of President Gamal Nasser of Egypt. On September 1, 1969, Gaddafi seized control of the government in a military coup that deposed King Idris. After which he was named commander-in-chief of the armed forces and chairman of Libya's new governing body, the Revolutionary Command Council. Although he was unpredictable, eccentric, and controversial Gaddafi was a true nationalist and pan-Africanist. While in power, he evacuated U.S. and British military bases from Libya, exiled most members of the native Italian and Jewish communities, and nationalized all foreign-owned petroleum assets in the country in 1973. His government began devoting funding towards giving free education, healthcare, and housing to all citizens. Under Gaddafi, the country's per capita income increased to nearly 11,000 U.S. dollars, ranking it fifth in Africa. Gaddafi dreamed of a United States of Africa with one currency, one government, and one military. Sadly, his dream wasn't actualized as he was killed in 2011. Ibrahim Tror Currently, the youngest serving president in the world, Ibrahim Tror has been the interim leader of Burkina Faso since the 30th September 2022 coup d'etat, which ousted interim president Paul Henry Sandago Damiba. Prior to this coup, Tror was part of a group of army officers that supported the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'etat that brought Paul Henry Damiba into power. Under the new government, little improvement was seen by many members of the military. Those stationed in remote areas often did not receive their pay on time. In mid-September 2022, 11 soldiers were killed in the north of the country by insurgents. This sparked rage among many soldiers, and so, Tror rallied the soldiers and led a coup against Damiba, who fled the country. Tror later explained that he and other officers had tried to get Damiba to refocus on the rebellion, but eventually opted to overthrow him as his ambitions were diverting away from what they set out to do. In the direct aftermath of the coup, Tror had declared himself the new head of the patriotic movement for safeguard and restoration. Tror's government seems to mirror the iconic leader of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara. His actions and speeches hint that he is anti-imperialist and anti-neocolonialist. Like Mali and Kinney presidents, he expelled French forces assisting in fighting the local insurgency from Burkina Faso and supported the diversification of Burkina Faso's international partnerships. President Museveni became president of the Republic of Uganda on January 29, 1986, after leading a successful five-year liberation struggle. Previous to the struggle of 1981 to 1986, Museveni had been one of the leaders in the anti-Emin resistance of 1971 to 1979 that had led to the fall of that monstrous regime. When IDMN came to power in Uganda in 1971, Museveni returned to Tanzania in exile. There he founded the Front for National Salvation, which helped overthrow Emin in 1979. Museveni held posts in transitional governments and in 1980 ran for president of Uganda. When the elections, widely believed to have been rigged, were won by Milton Obot, Museveni, and former president Yusuf Yule, formed the National Resistance Movement, NRM. Museveni led the NRM's armed group, the National Resistance Army, which waged a guerrilla war against Obot's regime. The resistance eventually prevailed, and on January 26, 1986, Museveni declared himself president of Uganda. On January 29, he was sworn in as president and during a ceremony. He said that this is not a mere change of guard, it is a fundamental change. Since 1986, Museveni has been the president of Uganda, making him the longest-serving president in Uganda. As president, Museveni has helped to revitalize the country and provide political stability, a growing economy, and it improved infrastructure. He has also instituted a number of capitalist reforms, supported a free press, and implemented measures to combat AIDS. Like Colonel Mamadi Dumbuya, Asimi Goyda of Mali came into power in 2021 through a military coup. But unlike him, Asimi Goyda instigated two coups in the space of nine months. The first coup was organized on August 18, 2020 by the Malian Army and launched against President Abraham Babakarkita following the demonstrations and protests against his government. The protesters accused the government of corruption and failure to quell the armed rebellion in the North. The coup leaders formed the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, which was headed by Asimi Goyda. Pressure from Ikalis and the international community led the coup leaders to appoint civilians, Ba Enda as president, and Makhtar Rwain as prime minister while Asimi Goyda became vice president. However, relations between the civilians and military became tense over the next few months coupled with Islamic insurgency raging in the North. And so, on May 24, 2021, the military acted again with Asimi Goyda leading the coup. He seized power and detained President Enda and Prime Minister Makhtar Rwain. According to Goyda, he instigated the coup because President Enda was attempting to sabotage the transition to democracy. However, according to some reports, the coup was initiated because President Enda failed to consult him about a cabinet reshuffle. On 28 May, 2021, the constitutional court declared him interim president of Mali and the court ruling stated that Goyda should carry the title President of the Transition, Head of State, to lead the transition process to its conclusion. Blaise Kampour Known for his betrayal of the widely-loved icon, Thomas Sankara, Blaise Kampour served as the second president of Burkina Faso from 1987 to 2014. In October 1987, he led a coup d'etat with Jean Baptiste Lingani and Captain Henry Zongo, during which Sankara, who was president at the time, was killed, although he claimed that it was not intentional. Zongo and Lingani held prominent positions in the regime until 1989, when, after disagreeing with Kampour over economic issues, they were accused of plotting against him and were subsequently executed, leaving Kampour free to follow his own agenda. While in power, he introduced a policy of rectification, overturning the leftist and third-worldest policies pursued by Sankara. He won elections in 1991, 1998, 2005 and 2010 in what was considered unfair circumstances, making him the longest-serving president in Burkina Faso. He attempted to amend the constitution to extend his 27-year term, however it failed, and led to the 2014 Burkina Bay uprising. On 31 October 2014, Kampour resigned, whereupon he fled to the Ivory Coast. Eight years later, he was found guilty by a special military tribunal of complicity in Sankara's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Jerry Rawlings Jerry Rawlings, former head of state and president of the Republic of Ghana, is one of the most admired African leaders, both in Africa and beyond for his charisma, sincerity, drive, patriotism, and participatory leadership approach. He is known for his anti-corruption credentials, was seen as a champion for the poor, and was able to revive Ghana's failing economy. He led two coups. The first was in 1979, with the purported aim of purging the military and public life of widespread corruption. He and his armed forces' Revolutionary Council ruled for 112 days, during which time the former heads of state, Jen Ignatius Kutu Achimpam, in lewd. Jen Frederick W.K. Okufo were tried and executed. Rawlings then yielded power to a freely elected civilian president, Hilla Lyman. The second coup was on December 31, 1981, after two years of weak civilian rule during which Ghana's economy continued to deteriorate. Rawlings overthrew Lyman's government, accusing it of leading the nation down to total economic ruin. He then established a provisional defense council as the new government and imprisoned Lyman and some 200 other politicians. He led the country as a military junta from 1981 until introducing multi-party elections in 1992, when he was first elected president. He stepped down in 2001 after serving two terms, but continued to wield a strong influence in the country until his death in 2020. Kamal Abdel Nasser Nasser is another prominent African leader who despite coming into power through a coup is widely regarded as an exceptional leader in Egypt. Gemel was at the forefront of the worldwide movement to resist the domination of the superpowers called non-alignment, which denied alliance with either the U.S. containment policy or the Soviet Union's systems of influence. In fact, his entry into power wasn't regarded as a coup, but as a revolution. On July 23, 1952, Nasser and 89 other free officers staged an almost bloodless coup d'etat, ousting the monarchy of King Farouk I. After the coup, the country was taken over by a revolutionary command council of 11 officers controlled by Nasser with Major General Mohammed Nagwib as the puppet head of state. For more than a year, Nasser was behind the scenes controlling things, but a series of intrigue brought him out of the shadows and he declared himself Prime Minister and later President of Egypt after the elections in 1965. As he took control, Egypt's prospects began to look bright. He nationalized the Suez Canal, built the Aswan High Dam, accelerated industrialization, and even gave voice to women. He was truly an exceptional leader and will forever be remembered in Egypt. Dennis Sassoungasso President Dennis Sassou of the Republic of Congo has been the current leader of Congo since 1997 till date, although that was not the first time he came into power. The president first came into power in 1977 after marrying Gwabi. The president at the time was assassinated. History is not really certain about who assassinated in Gwabi. While official media stated that the assassination was conducted by a commando group led by Captain Bartholmy Kikudidi, some others claimed that the assassination was plotted by military officers within the close circle of power. So, it's not exactly clear if Dennis was involved in the assassination, but regardless, a military committee of the Congolese Labour Party composed of 11 officers led by Major Sassoungasso immediately took power and repealed the 1973 Constitution with Sassoung acting as interim head of state from 18 March to 6 April 1977. He then conceded his position to General Jochim Yambiopango who became president. Two years later in 1979, Dennis Sassoungasso was elected president of the PCT following the Congress of February 5th and thus began his reign as president from 1979 until 1991 when he lost the presidential elections in 1992. He came back again as head of state after he won the 1997 elections, repealing the 1992 Constitution and replacing it with a fundamental act that concentrated power in the president's hands. Since 1979 when Sassoung first came into power till date, he has been in power for an accumulated 36 years, making him one of the longest serving presidents in Africa. Colonel Mamadi Dambuia Colonel Mamadi Dambuia is the current serving president of Guinea who came into power in 2021 through a coup d'etat instigated by him and in which the president of Guinea, Alphacande, was detained without violence. Prior to the coup, Mamadi Dambuia had served in the military for 15 years where he was first a French legionnaire holding the rank of corporal before he returned to Guinea to lead the Special Forces Group an elite military unit created by President Alphacande. In 2018, he met Assimi Goda from Mali in Burkina Faso at a U.S. Army training session for regional Special Forces commanders and a few years later, both he and Assimi Goda would later launch military coups against their governments. After the coup Dambuia issued a broadcast on state television declaring that his faction had dissolved the government and constitution and announced that they had seized power because of rampant corruption, a disregard for human rights and economic mismanagement by Khande and his administration. The Khande administration was also accused of nepotism and tribalism. In justifying the military's actions, Dambuia quoted the former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings who said that if the people are crushed by their elites, it is up to the army to give the people their freedom. The coup was widely welcomed among the vast majority of Guinyans. Since he was sworn in as interim president Dambuia has clamped down on corruption in the country, trained the army's senior ranks and promoted younger fellow officers and also has plans to move the country to civilian rule.