More coups likely in West Africa – Prof. Aning warns
Security expert Prof. Kwesi Aning has warned that the coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, may not be the last military takeover in West Africa.
He said the growing instability in the region reflects deeper issues such as weak democratic governance, poor leadership, corruption, and a lack of transparency.
“There is a bigger question about the usefulness of democracy, the nature of leadership, issues around corruption, transparency, this is not going to end. This may not be the last coup,” he cautioned.
Prof. Aning explained in an interview on Thursday, November 27, that many West African countries currently face conditions that could trigger further coups.
He argued that poor political management, coupled with citizens’ struggles to access basic services and daily necessities, creates fertile ground for military interventions.
The warning comes after military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced on Wednesday that they had seized power.
Reports indicated that President Umaro Sissoco Embaló had been arrested, and gunshots were later heard in the capital, Bissau.
Government sources confirmed his detention.
The officers appeared on state television to declare the suspension of the electoral process, just as the country awaited the results of the presidential election held on Sunday, November 23, 2025.
They claimed their action was meant to stop a plot by unnamed politicians, allegedly supported by a “well-known drug baron,” to destabilise the nation.
The junta also closed the country’s borders and imposed a nighttime curfew.