The Resurgence of Military Dictatorship in African Politics: Implication for Democratic Consolidation

Abstract

The paper examines the resurgence of the military coup d’état in Africa and its implication for democratic consolidation. It took a historical voyage of incidences of military coups from the independence of African States in the 1950s- 2003, linking them with recent incidences of military coups d’état in 2019 and 2020. It attempts to justify or otherwise the reasons for the occurrences of military coups d’état from both perspectives. The aim is to find out why military coups have resurfaced after the wave of democratization that has swept through the African continent from the 1980s. The paper adopts the historical and descriptive approaches in a chronological narrative and analysis of the extant literature to ensure a thorough understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. The paper posits that the recent incidences of coups d’état in 2019 and 2020 are indications of the resurgence of military incursions in African politics since the usual reasons given by the military for interventions or interruptions still abound. To stem the tide and discourage military incursions into politics, the paper thus recommends that the various governments of African States should ensure that they deliver good governance, reduce corruption, strengthen political and electoral institutions to engender free, fair and credible elections, as well as fair electoral participation. The sit-tight-to power syndrome by incumbents African leaders should be discouraged amongst others.