Could West Africa become a dictatorship? Experts are pointing to a "coup-demic" as Gabon becomes the latest African nation to succumb to a military takeover. But will the contagion continue to spread?
Another African nation falls to military rule
Military measures: Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso and São Tomé and Príncipe have all experienced recent coups. Glossary
Coups - A coup occurs when a group illegally overthrows the leadership of a country and seizes power.
Gabon - A country on the west coast of Central Africa.
Ousted - Expelled; forced out (from power).
Contested - Not agreed upon.
Fraudulent - Intentionally false and meant to harm or deceive.
Niger - A landlocked country in West Africa. It has a population of 25 million.
Junta - A government that has taken control by force. It derives from a Spanish word meaning “council”.
Burkina Faso - A landlocked country in West Africa with a population of 22 million.
Mali - A landlocked country in west Africa, with a very young population of 22 million.
Guinea - A country in West Africa with a population of 13.5 million.
Colonialism - This refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.
Exploitative - Using someone or something in an unfair or morally wrong way — but in a way that benefits you.
Wagner Group - A band of mercenaries operating around the world who have been accused of torture and other war crimes.
Mercenaries - Professional soldiers who are hired to fight in an army.
Dictatorship - A form of government in which one person possesses all the power without any limits.
Rigged - The act of arranging dishonestly for the result of something, for example an election, to be changed.
Opaque - Not clear.