5. Military coups in the Sahel

Description of the subject The Sahelian states have been plagued by a series of military coups d’état that have led to a malaise within democratic institutions. Even if several factors – such as the failure of electoral systems or constitutional changes – are cited to explain this resurgence of coups d’état, many questions remain as to the true intentions of the military in power. The resumption of control over security issues by the juntas and the repositioning of military alliances raise questions about the stakes and prospects of military coups in the Sahel. Taking a decolonial approach, the aim of this panel is to analyze the military transitions underway in the military Sahel and the neo-sovereignist mobilizations behind them. Based on a comparative approach, the panel will also examine the political and social dynamics, as well as the geostrategic and territorial reconfigurations underway in the Sahel through the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). At the intersection of political science, anthropology and sociology, this panel will look at the role of social protest movements in legitimizing post-democratic coups d’état, the rejection of the West, new military alliances, and the impact of social networks in mobilizing citizens in favor of military transitions. It will use a qualitative approach to understand the current stakes of military coups in the Sahel. State of knowledge To understand military coups d’état in Africa, we need to go back to the advent of independence and the creation of armies based on nation-states. While some works have focused on military institutions and their articulation with the nation-state (Dabezies: 1986; Martin: 1986, Benchenane et al: 1986, Diallo: 1986), others have tended to emphasize the military and militarism in African societies, while taking armed force as an object of study (Souka, 2020; Hutchful, 1989). Considering the advent of democracy as a marker of the end of authoritarian regimes, the difficult resectorization of defense and security forces shows the place of armies in post-transition regimes in sub-Saharan Africa (Thriot: 2005, 2028; Bagayoko: 2018). Coup d’état sequences in the ECOWAS region and elsewhere in Africa are analyzed through the lens of deviant diplomacy, where geostrategic stakes between powers are at play (Kounouho: 2023, Lossayi: 2023, Chamkhi: 2023, Ngueuta and Ngon: 2023).