Africa has recently been washed by a wave of coups. The continent has seen a total of eight coups in six countries from 2020 to 2023. The series of coups began in Mali after a group of soldiers ceased power from President Ibrahim Boubacar in August 2020, the junta later returned the country to constitutional rule. However, it ended abruptly after another coup in May 2021.
In the same year, the military in Chad took over power following the death of President Idriss Deby.
In September 2021, a military group led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Conde in Guinea. The coup came after a constitutional amendment by Alpha Conde that would have reset the presidential term to three or more terms.
Shortly, after Guinea’s coup, the Sudanese military ousted President Omar al-Bashir. This was followed by two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022 with Niger and Gabon being the latest countries to experience coups on the continent.
In response to the surge in military coups in Africa, some long-serving African presidents have announced major changes in their military positions.
In this report, Fact-Check Ghana presents a list of countries that have made significant reforms to their military.
Cameroon
Ninety-four-year-old President Paul Biya announced new appointments and reshuffle at the administrative level of the country’s Defense Ministry on August 30, 2023. Some of the posts that were reshuffled were the defence delegate to the presidency, the staff of the air force and the police. Paul Biya has been president of Cameroon since 1982.
The reshuffle is at least the second the Nonagenarian has called for in the military this year.
Rwanda
The Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) has announced that President Paul Kagame (who has been in office since 2003) has approved the retirement of 86 senior non-commissioned officers, six junior officers, and 12 generals. Furthermore, 678 soldiers have retired as their contracts have ended, and 160 others have been medically discharged. Some young officers have also been promoted to the rank of colonel, and new generals have been appointed by Paul Kagame.
Uganda
On August 31, 2023, President Yoweri Museveni took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate retiring Generals from Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). “Their retirement should not be regarded as a redundancy but a mutation from one service to another, “ he said.
President Yoweri Museveni became president of Uganda in 1986 and has been in power for 37 years.
Guinea Bissau
Not long ago after the Niger and Gabon coups Guinea Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo appointed a new chief of staff and head of presidential security. These are existing positions that have not been occupied until the recent appointments.
