West Africa grapples with new wave of military coups

By SAM MEDNICK and KRISTA LARSON
Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — West Africa is grappling with a wave of military coups over the past 18 months that has some wondering which country could be next. Mutinous soldiers already had overthrown the presidents of Mali and Guinea when a coup took place late last month in Burkina Faso. And this month gunmen tried to oust Guinea-Bissau’s president, too, but ultimately failed. Now the regional body known as ECOWAS is grappling with how to bring about a return to democracy in three of its 15 member states, where juntas have seized power in the last 18 months. Critics blame the rise in coups on the fact that the juntas know they’ll face little more than strongly worded statements.