As we enter into the new year, which is now 2024, I feel it is imperative that we look back into a region of the world I mentioned a while back with the Gabon article I wrote on September 28, 2023. That was about 4 months ago. While that does not seem long, it is quite so. A lot can happen in even one single month, and a lot seems to have happened in the Sahel region of Africa, also now referred to as the Coup Belt. This region has been very unstable in recent years, and the conflicts only seem to be getting worse, and a lot has changed. Heck, in this region, a lot can change in only a week or even in only a few days! So, in this article, I will be going down a long list of events, starting with the war in Sudan.

War in Sudan

Since gaining independence from both Egypt and the British Empire in 1956, Sudan has been wracked by instability, much like many post-colonial African states. After only about two years of being independent the commander in chief of the military, General Ibrahim Abbud, overthrew the government in a military coup on November 16-17, 1958. The coup was bloodless, but it was to be the calm before the storm, as Sudan would slowly descend into chaos and bloodshed. There were two civil wars in the 1980s and 2000s between the Muslim north and the Animist and Christian south, as the Muslims in the north sought to subjugate the Animists and Christians in the south and enforce Islamic law onto them. This led to very big divides that eventually caused the south to secede fully in 2011 and form the Republic of South Sudan, which is currently, as of 2024, the youngest U.N. member state in the world. However, this was not going to be the last major bump in the road for Sudan, however. Sudan was at the time under the brutal rule of Omar Al-Bashir, who had ruled the country since taking power in one of Sudan’s many coups in 1989. He would rule with an iron fist until being deposed in another coup in 2019. This coup led to the military taking control and intitiating a transition to democracy. However, all hopes were dashed when yet another military coup took place in 2021. This coup, however, was just the beginning for the quick failure of the Sudanese Transition To Democracy, as a civil war would erupt on April 15, 2023. This war is between the Sudanese Armed Forces, which controls the government through the Transitional Sovereignty Council which took power after the 2019 coup, and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. The war has killed several thousand people and displaced millions of people.

Coup Attempt in Burkina Faso

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, a military coup attempt against the current leader of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traore, occurred. It is not entirely clear as to what exactly happened, but what is known is that several members of the military attempted to topple Traore’s regime and that the security forces thwarted this attempt to attack the institutions of the Republic and plunge their country into chaos”. The coup attempt leader was Cheikh Hamza Ouattara. Traore came to power in a military coup in September of 2022 after overthrowing Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a Burkinabe military officer who also took power in a military coup in January of 2022.

Traore is currently the youngest world leader, with him only being about 36 years old as of right now. Since taking power he has conjured up the image of a staunch anti-imperialist and African nationalist. He has been referred to by some as a “Thomas Sankara incarnate”. Thomas Sankara was a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who took power in his own military coup in 1983, when Burkina Faso was at that time known as the Republic of Upper Volta, which was its name when it gained independence from France in 1958. Upper Volta was about as unstable and corrupt as a country could be.

First, the nation was under a one-party state before the government was overthrown in a military coup. A succession of military coups occurred over the years until in 1983 a group of young officers took power in a coup. The leader of that coup was Thomas Sankara. Thomas Sankara was a Marxist, and he very much was a man of principle. Under his rule, he changed the country’s name to “Burkina Faso”, or “The Land of Upright Men” in 1984. He would also ban female genital mutilation, begin a tree-planting campaign, and establish a special day where men would be tasked with doing all the things that women usually did so they could truly understand the struggles that women went through daily. However, he would also show himself to be a man of true modesty, as he would refuse to fly in expensive jets and instead take economy class, drive inexpensive cars instead of fancy limos and other high-class cars, and even prefer to eschew cars altogether to instead spend time riding a bicycle. He also refused to announce his presence when being around the average citizens.

For example, he once appeared to watch some Burkinabe people playing a soccer game, and just sat in the background observing them. Eventually, people noticed he was there after a long while, he was dressed in an average t-shirt and shorts, and everyone watched in awe at how he was just there. He eventually joined in on the game. Sankara was also not content doing all these things himself and eventually forced his government officials to fly economy class flights and drive average cares. However, he also was known for his authoritarian rule and the establishment of a Marxist economy and government. But it was in general his radical politics and views that all combined to lead to his eventual political and real-life demise, as he was assassinated in a military coup in 1987, after his partner, Blaise Campaore, orchestrated a coup that led to Sankara being murdered. His death led to him becoming a martyr and being a larger-than-life figure.

Ibrahim Traore has since conjured up this image by being a staunch anti-imperialist. He has also showed up in military tactical gear, wearing a red beret, instead of showing up in custom-tailored suits like all the other African leaders. He was known for being close to his men, willful, and courageous. He sought to make the food supply for Burkina Faso self-sufficient, which was akin to what Thomas Sankara would have done. This image he has built has made him seem like a 21st-century Sankara.

Senegal Elections

Now, the last event for today is the upcoming elections in Senegal. Senegal is the only country in the Sahel region where democracy has remained fairly stable. However, the country has never been particularly free. Since independence, it has had only 4 people to ever serve as President. The Presidents of Senegal are as such:

• Leopold Senghor, Socialist Party of Senegal (September 6, 1960 – December 31, 1980 (20 years, 115 days))
• Abdou Diouf, Socialist Party of Senegal (January 1, 1981 – April 1, 2000 (19 years, 91 days))
• Abdoulaye Wade, Senegalese Democratic Party (April 1, 2000 – April 2, 2012 (12 years, 1 day))
• Macky Sall, Alliance for the Republic (April 2, 2012 – Present (11 years, 307 days, as of February 3, 2024))

Now, this in itself is not a problem, as the people liking one particular leader for 20-plus years is quite possible. For example, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected for four terms between 1932 and 1945. Senegal itself has remained fairly democratic since its independence, barring a period of one-party rule and some flaws within its system. Since 2000, it has become better at having freer elections since the ruling party, the Socialist Party of Senegal, has not ruled the government since that year after having held power since 1960. The current President, Macky Sall, however, has been slowly eroding what Senegal had in terms of democracy in favor of consolidating his own control over the country. He has since postponed the elections in the country and barred some opposition candidates from running for office. This has since led to protests and clashes with police, which had been reported on February 4, 2024. Only time will tell if Senegal can remain democratic and free from chaos.

Citations:

Sudan-

Abdelaziz, Khalid, et al. “Sudan Clashes Kill at Least 25 in Power Struggle between Army, Paramilitaries.” Reuters, 15 Apr. 2023, www.reuters.com/world/africa/heavy-gunfire-heard-south-sudanese-capital-khartoum-witnesses-2023-04-15/.

Bishara, Marwan. “Sudan’s Tragedy: Rogue Generals and Failed Coups.” Www.aljazeera.com, www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/4/18/sudans-tragedy-rogue-ge“Sudan News | Today’s Latest from al Jazeera.” Www.aljazeera.com, www.aljazeera.com/where/sudan/.

Nerals-and-failed-coups.

“Sudan’s Coup: One Year Later.” Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/blog/sudans-coup-one-year-later.

Burkina Faso-

“Burkina Faso Junta Says It Thwarted Coup Attempt.” France 24, 27 Sept. 2023, www.france24.com/en/africa/20230927-burkina-faso-says-intelligence-services-have-foiled-coup-attemps.

http://www.trtafrika.com/insight/ibrahim-traore-why-burkina-fasos-leader-attracts-attention-14479334. “Ibrahim Traore: Why Burkina Faso’s Leader Attracts Attention – TRT Afrika.” Ibrahim Traore: Why Burkina Faso’s Leader Attracts Attention, www.trtafrika.com/insight/ibrahim-traore-why-burkina-fasos-leader-attracts-attention-14479334.

Jaffré, Bruno. “Facts about Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso – My Blog.” My Blog, 24 Nov. 2015, www.thomassankara.net/facts-about-thomas-sankara-in-burkina-faso/?lang=en.

Senegal-

Meakem, Allison. “Senegal Tries to Beat the Odds in Africa’s Coup Belt.” Foreign Policy, 29 Jan. 2024, foreignpolicy.com/2024/01/02/senegal-democracy-sall-sonko-sahel-coup/.

“Senegal’s Macky Sall Postpones Presidential Election.” Al Jazeera, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/3/senegals-macky-sall-postpones-presidential-election. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024.

“Senegal.” Clintonwhitehouse3.Archives.gov, clintonwhitehouse3.archives.gov/Africa/senegal.html.