Coup tracker — military takeovers, coup attempts and foiled plots
✦Every reported military coup, coup attempt and foiled coup plot worldwide — from the Sahel juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to Myanmar, Sudan, Gabon and Madagascar — with the regional response and the trials that follow — collected from 310+ graded news outlets and government sources, in one place. Latest: “House Speaker rejects petition to proposal to repeal 1976 coup-era order” (Prachatai English, 2h ago).
Coup log
✦No coup, coup attempt or foiled plot has been reported since WARNPOINT started this log 3 days ago.
Built automatically from headlines that say soldiers seized power, ousted a leader, or that a coup attempt took place or was foiled — one row per day and type, merged over 72 hours. Trials, anniversaries, follow-ups after a coup, rumours and analysis are left out. A foiled plot is the government’s account unless other sources confirm it. Faded rows come from a single outlet that is not A/B graded.
How a coup unfolds
✦WARNPOINT’s reading guide to the stages reported in recent takeovers — not every coup passes through all five.
- 1Warning signsMutinies over pay or battlefield losses, purges of senior officers, coup rumours denied by the government.
- 2Move on the capitalGunfire near the presidential palace, troops or armoured vehicles in the streets, the internet or state TV cut.
- 3Leader detainedThe head of state held by guards or soldiers; ministers and party leaders arrested.
- 4AnnouncementOfficers read a statement on state TV: government dissolved, constitution suspended, borders closed, curfew.
- 5Junta in placeA military council names a transitional leader; regional bodies (AU, ECOWAS) suspend the country.
Successful coups since 2020
✦| Country | Date | Who took power | Removed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mali | Aug 18, 2020 | Col. Assimi Goïta’s National Committee for the Salvation of the People | President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (resigned in detention) |
| Myanmar | Feb 1, 2021 | The military under Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing | State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint (detained) |
| Mali | May 24, 2021 | Col. Assimi Goïta | Transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane |
| Guinea | Sep 5, 2021 | Col. Mamady Doumbouya (special forces) | President Alpha Condé |
| Sudan | Oct 25, 2021 | Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (army) | Civilian-led transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok |
| Burkina Faso | Jan 24, 2022 | Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba | President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré |
| Burkina Faso | Sep 30, 2022 | Capt. Ibrahim Traoré | Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba |
| Niger | Jul 26, 2023 | Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani (presidential guard) | President Mohamed Bazoum (detained) |
| Gabon | Aug 30, 2023 | Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema | President Ali Bongo Ondimba |
| Madagascar | Oct 14, 2025 | Col. Michael Randrianirina (CAPSAT army unit) | President Andry Rajoelina, impeached by parliament the same day |
Documented takeovers only. Contested cases are left out — e.g. Chad, April 2021, when a military council under Mahamat Idriss Déby took over after President Idriss Déby’s death. Later events are added once confirmed.
Latest Coups headlines
✦- House Speaker rejects petition to proposal to repeal 1976 coup-era order✦PRACHATAI ENGLISH2h ago
- Sergei Shoigu: ‘Georgia prevented coup in 2024 and began defending its national interests’✦JAMNEWS11h ago
- Shoigu Says GD Government Averted ‘Coup’ in 2024, Calls for Resumption of 3+3 Platform✦CIVIL.GE16h ago
- Peru Court Reportedly May Void Coup Verdict✦RIO TIMES17h ago
Trials, plots & arrests
✦- Peru Court Reportedly May Void Coup Verdict✦RIO TIMES17h ago
Timeline · key moments
✦- Oct 14, 2025Madagascar: Col. Michael Randrianirina’s CAPSAT unit announces the military is taking power after parliament votes to impeach President Andry Rajoelina
- Jun 26, 2024Bolivia: Gen. Juan José Zúñiga leads troops and an armoured vehicle into Plaza Murillo; he is arrested the same day
- May 19, 2024DR Congo: armed men attack the presidential palace in Kinshasa; the army says it foiled a coup attempt
- Jan 28, 2024Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announce they are leaving ECOWAS
- Nov 26, 2023Sierra Leone: attacks on barracks and prisons in Freetown; the government calls them a failed coup attempt
- Aug 30, 2023Gabon: officers led by Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema depose President Ali Bongo Ondimba after his announced re-election
- Jul 26, 2023Niger: the presidential guard under Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani detains President Mohamed Bazoum
- Dec 7, 2022Peru: President Pedro Castillo announces he is dissolving Congress; Congress removes him and he is arrested the same day
- Sep 30, 2022Burkina Faso: Capt. Ibrahim Traoré ousts Damiba — the country’s second takeover of the year
- Feb 1, 2022Guinea-Bissau: gunfire at the government palace; President Umaro Sissoco Embaló says a coup attempt was defeated
- Jan 24, 2022Burkina Faso: Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba ousts President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
- Oct 25, 2021Sudan: Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolves the civilian-led transitional government
- Sep 5, 2021Guinea: special forces under Col. Mamady Doumbouya detain President Alpha Condé
- May 24, 2021Mali: Goïta detains the transitional president and prime minister — a second takeover in nine months
- Feb 1, 2021Myanmar: the military takes power and detains Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint
- Aug 18, 2020Mali: soldiers detain President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who resigns; Col. Assimi Goïta’s junta takes power
Key facts
✦- Definition
- An illegal, overt attempt by the military or other state elites to unseat the sitting executive (the definition used by the Powell & Thyne coup dataset)
- African Union rule
- Suspends a member after an unconstitutional change of government (Lomé Declaration, July 2000)
- West & Central Africa, 2020–2023
- Seven military takeovers between August 2020 and August 2023: Mali twice, Guinea, Burkina Faso twice, Niger and Gabon (not counting Chad’s April 2021 military council)
- Myanmar
- The military took power on February 1, 2021, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and declaring a state of emergency
- Sudan
- The army’s October 25, 2021 takeover was followed from April 15, 2023 by war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces
- Gabon
- The August 30, 2023 takeover ended 56 years of Bongo family rule (1967–2023)
- Alliance of Sahel States
- Formed by the juntas of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on September 16, 2023
- ECOWAS exit
- Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal on January 28, 2024; it took effect in January 2025
Specialist sources
- Crisis Group — conflict-prevention reports, incl. the Sahel juntas and Myanmarnothing on this beat in the last 30 days
- The Africa Report — pan-African politics and securitynothing on this beat in the last 30 days
- RFI — French public broadcaster with deep coverage of Francophone Africanothing on this beat in the last 30 days
- Africanews — pan-African news channelnothing on this beat in the last 30 days
- The Irrawaddy — Myanmar news since the 2021 military takeovernothing on this beat in the last 30 days
- Dabanga — Sudan news from inside the countrynothing on this beat in the last 30 days
Questions people ask
Is there a coup happening right now?
Nothing has been reported by two or more outlets in WARNPOINT’s records (3 days). The log updates every 15 minutes from 310+ news sources.
What is a coup d’état?
An illegal, overt attempt by the military or other state elites to remove the sitting head of government. A coup attempt that fails — or a plot stopped before it starts — is counted separately from a successful coup.
Which countries have had a successful coup since 2020?
Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Myanmar (February 2021), Guinea (September 2021), Sudan (October 2021), Burkina Faso (January and September 2022), Niger (July 2023), Gabon (August 2023) and Madagascar (October 2025). Chad’s April 2021 military council is often counted too.
What is the Alliance of Sahel States?
A confederation formed on September 16, 2023 by the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The three announced their exit from the West African bloc ECOWAS on January 28, 2024; it took effect in January 2025.
What happens to a country after a coup?
The African Union suspends members after an unconstitutional change of government (Lomé Declaration, 2000), and ECOWAS has imposed sanctions and suspensions on Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger. The juntas usually announce a transition period ending in elections.
Where does this information come from?
From 310+ news outlets WARNPOINT reads around the clock — including Crisis Group, The Africa Report, RFI, Africanews and international wires — each graded for reliability. Statements by juntas and governments (“coup attempt foiled”) are attributed to them. State media is graded S and labelled. Nothing on this page is AI-written.