NIGER COUP: This TV grab image taken from Euronews channel shows Gokoye Abdul Karimou, spokesman for the millitary Junta delivering a televised statement in Niamey on February 19, 2010 (XINHUA/AFP)

Africa is no stranger to military coup détats. In the past 12 months this form of forceful government takeover has shown a sharp rise. The moves have predictably brought with them civil, political and social upheaval. However hope might finally be at hand after the long decades of such strife, as international resistance mounts against African military juntas.

In recent months, the people of Mauritania, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar, to name a few, have all experienced military uprisings and suffered dearly as a result.

On February 18, Niger fell victim to the most recent African coup after mutinous soldiers stormed the presidential palace in Niamey and kidnapped President Mamadou Tandja.

It was a depressingly familiar scenario for the Sahel nation, marking the fourth such overthrow of a head of state in the former French colony since it declared independence in 1960.

Compared with its previous coups, however, the takeover was relatively mild. The troops took control in two hours, and only three presidential palace guards were killed in the process.

Beyond that, the coup itself had scant impact on Niger's social stability. Unfortunately, this relative bloodlessness has not been the norm elsewhere in recent African history.

In December 2008, Guinea's military leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara took control over the West African nation in a violent coup that was preceded by the death of President Lansana Conte by a matter of hours.

More recently, in September 2009, military forces under Captain Camara's control massacred more than 150 people while suppressing a mass demonstration in Conakry, the capital of the Francophone nation.

In early March 2009, Guinea-Bissau, a small former Portuguese colony, also witnessed a military coup. President Joao Bernardo Vieira was killed in a bomb attack, although the rebellious soldiers ultimately failed to overthrow his government.

Later that same month, a military uprising shook the East African island nation of Madagascar. Opposition demonstrators clashed with government loyalists, leaving more than 300 people dead or wounded. Rebellious soldiers backed by the opposition proceeded to occupy the presidential palace and force President Marc Ravalomanana to cede power to opposition leader Andry Rajoelina.

Factors

The reasons for the frequent outbreaks of military coups in Africa are often complex and vary from country to country. There are, however, certain commonalities that cannot be ignored.

The frequent military coups in Africa themselves are deeply rooted in history. The influence of colonialism, for example, remains heavy: A majority of African nations did not realize their independence from European powers until as recently as 50 years ago.

The harsh legacy of these negative external influences, moreover, has made it all but impossible for the political institutions vital to these African nations to mature in a healthy way.

Consequently, many of these young nations lack a good model to cultivate prosperity with strong civic participation and even balances of power.

Such weaknesses have precluded these governments from managing their countries effectively. Depending on military forces, meanwhile, has thus yielded a quicker, more convenient way for governments and their leaders to exert control over their populations while maintaining social stability.

The army has, as a result, become the ultimate special interest group in many African countries. Not merely confined to safeguarding national sovereignty, African military leaders have now become fully involved in the affairs of all aspects of society. And this is a serious problem.

Moreover, since the 1990s, Western nations have actively promoted "democratization" in Africa by cashing in on their global strategic advantages gained after the end of the Cold War. In ways, these powers have declared this endeavor "Africa's Second Liberation."

Currently, Western-style democracy and multi-party systems have become a political norm in Africa. But they still seem incompatible with the political culture of many African countries.

In particular, this speaks to the mosaics of ethnic groups that often divide African nations. In these countries, tribal affiliations can often trump national identity. Consequently, multi-party elections can devolve into ethnically driven elections. Tribes can thus fight fiercely for political power - something that may lead to military coups.

Guinea offers a powerful example. The Conakry government had long been controlled by the Malinke and Soussou ethnic groups - both of which boast large populations. Smaller tribes, unable to acquire representative authority and status, were therefore left dissatisfied.

Enter Captain Camara. Coming from a smaller ethnic group known as Guerze, he was able to draw a power base from his people with which to launch the coup.

The situation was not dissimilar in Guinea-Bissau. The coup leader there, General Batista Tagme Na Waie, Chief of Staff of Guinea-Bissau's armed forces, and President Vieira were also from different ethnic groups. General Na Waie had criticized the policies of President Vieira on many occasions. In fact, their conflicts had long been known to the public.

Endemic poverty, high-level corruption and stagnant economic development, of course, also fuel instability.

Statistics tell the story. Niger, for instance, ranked the lowest in terms of the Human Development Index among the 182 countries listed in the UN's Human Development Report 2009.

Indeed, before the coup, the people of Niger had long lost any confidence they might have had in their leadership. Instead, many hoped that an insurrection might oust their incompetent government. This provided a social base for the military coup.

The often absolute rule wielded by African leaders - sometimes known as the "Big Man" syndrome - is very often a huge motivation behind the coups. In some countries, their authority is far higher than that of their Western counterparts in almost every sense - dictatorial, that is.

Military coups are often quite easy to execute in Africa. In fact, sometimes, hundreds - or even dozens - of soldiers can carry out a coup in a couple of hours.