Developed as part of UNDP’s partnership with the AU Commission, “Soldiers and Citizens: Military Coups and the Need for Democratic Renewal in Africa,” supports continental leadership efforts in tackling unconstitutional changes of government (UCG). It offers a forward-looking perspective — both for preventing further coups and for harnessing opportunities for transformative change and sustained constitutional order.
The research findings are based on a vast perceptions survey, which captured the views of 8,000 citizens across Africa. Among the respondents, 5,000 are African citizens who lived through coups or equivalent UCG events, in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan. Their views were contrasted with those of 3,000 citizens from countries on a path of democratic transition or consolidation, namely The Gambia, Ghana and Tanzania. As a result of this extensive survey, UNDP have been able to interpret issues and trends through a uniquely people-centred dataset.