Take a map of Africa, shade in the nations that have had military coups over the last few years, and you'll see the pattern: It's what Declan Walsh in the New York Times calls a "coup belt" stretching across the entire continent. It goes from Guinea on the west coast to Sudan on the east coast, with Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and, most recently, Niger, filling in the belt. Coverage:
- The Sahel: This six-nation band "has become the longest corridor of military rule on Earth," writes Walsh. The line roughly corresponds with what's known as the Sahel region of Africa, described by the AP as a "vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert"—and one that has become increasingly linked to extremist groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.