West Africa-Sahel: ‘Democracy is No Longer a Hurray-Word’

While democracy is seen as a given in many countries around the world and as a beacon of hope in non-democratized nations, it is no longer a ‘hurray-word’ in some other parts, especially in West Africa, Sahel. In the space of three years, four countries in the region have lost their democratic status and the number of military takeovers is alarming. There have been seven coup d’états in the region, with four being successful. Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and more recently Republic of Niger have all been taken over by men in khaki and dark glasses. West Africa is known…