Global Educational Research Journal

Military Coups, Democratic Failure, and the Crisis of Legitimacy in the Sahel:

Abstract

Framing military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as abrupt disruptions of democratic governance is a common practice. This study contends that deeper structural crises, such as legitimacy deficits, institutional fragility, and persistent insecurity, better explain these interventions. By integrating civil-military relations theory, fragile state analysis, and peacebuilding frameworks, the paper demonstrates that coups are both disruptive and revelatory: they undermine democratic institutions while exposing the systemic failures that precede them. The study employs literary metaphors from Achebe, Fanon, Shakespeare, Orwell, and Machiavelli to illuminate the cyclical nature of power, legitimacy, and instability. The study concludes that sustainable political stability in the Sahel requires governance reforms that go beyond formal democratic procedures to address structural deficits and restore societal trust.

Keywords: Military coups; democracy; Sahel; governance; legitimacy; nstability