1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i “An Epidemic of Coups” in Africa? Issues for Congress February 11, 2022 Military officers have seized power in five African countries since 2020 (Figure 1), part of a trend the U.N. Secretary-General has termed “an epidemi
2、c of coups.” While military coups have long shaped African politics, their frequency peaked during the Cold War. A more recent wave occurred in Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger in 2008-2012, but regional tolerance seemed to decline. Recent coups challenge U.S. efforts t
3、o promote democracy and stability in Africa, complicate counterterrorism cooperation with several countries, and threaten a fragile post-authoritarian transition in Sudan that successive U.S. Administrations and Congress have supported. They also raise fears of “contagion,” especially in West Africa. Congressional Research Service https:/crsreports.congress.gov IN11854