Democracy in Africa: Coups, crises and foregone conclusions

Many of the 2026 elections across Africa across Africa are marked by fraud, repression and a growing disconnect between young people and political elites.

Though results have yet to be announced, Monday's election in Ethiopia , for example, is widely expected to result in a win for incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, despite deep divisions in the nation. Officials cited security concerns in suspending voting in parts of the country; the entire Tigray region was excluded from the election as tensions continue between regional and federal authorities. Tigray has not had federal representation for six years, and regional fighters fought a bloody civil war with federal forces from 2020 to 2022.

In West Africa, Ibrahim Traore, who seized power in the 2022 coup in Burkina Faso , told the Burkinabe people in April to "forget" about democracy .

"If an African wants to tell you about democracy, you should run away," he said on the state broadcaster, RTB. "Democracy kills."

Traore's statement shocked many, yet it also resonated with parts of the population. In Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, some residents argued that there is no time for democracy, as the fights against terror groups and for economic rebuilding take priority.

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The national militaries over threw the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea from 2020 through 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, a coup took place in 2025 .

Now led by military juntas, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso formally withdrew from the regional ECOWAS bloc in January 2025 and established their own partnership , the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).