The Coup Costs More Than the Corruption It Claims to Fix

Since 2020, soldiers have seized power in Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso (twice), Niger, and Gabon. In every case, the announcement has followed the same script: corruption has hollowed out the state, civilian government has forfeited its legitimacy, and the military is stepping in to restore what politicians destroyed. Crowds have gathered to celebrate in Bamako, Conakry, Ouagadougou, and Niamey, believing that the promise on offer, cleaner government, was one worth the risk. Sixty-five…