Political Instability and Military Coups in the Sahel Region

The study investigated Political Instability and Military Coups in the Sahel Region. The political landscape in Sahel countries like Sudan, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger has been afflicted by a series of attempted and successful coup d'états with potential spillover and broader destabilization effects that contributed to the political instability in region. The effects of military coups in these countries have contributed to developmental problems such as poverty, unemployment, terrorism, insecurity and inter/intra-tribal conflict, etc. in the Sahel region. The objectives of the study are to analyse the nexus between military coup and political instability in the Sahel region, and identify the implications of Military coups and political instability for the future of peace and security in the Sahel region. The realist theory propounded was adopted as the theoretical framework. A secondary source of data was deployed for the study; it involves the collection of data from textbooks, journals and articles, etc. They found that the Military coups and political instability in the Sahel are often rooted in long-standing grievances related to corruption, poor governance, electoral fraud, ethnic/tribal conflict, poverty, unemployment and a lack of state capacity to deliver basic services, among others. This study also found that the emerging issues have grave implications for national security, the economy and overall stability of mankind and States in the Sahel region. The study recommends implementing political reforms that ensure fair representation of all ethnic and religious groups can help mitigate grievances. Strengthening democratic institutions and processes, coupled with anti-corruption measures, can restore public trust in the government and reduce the likelihood of future coups as well as tackle the problems of poverty, unemployment, inequality, and electoral fraud, among others.