Sierra Leone, 1987 — dissident coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted dissident coup in Sierra Leone on 23 March 1987 against President Joseph Saidu Momoh, who had succeeded the long ruling Siaka Stevens in 1985 at the head of the one party state dominated by the All People's Congress. Momoh inherited a country in deep economic decay, riddled with corruption and patronage, and his early rule was marked by instability and plotting within the political and military elite. In March 1987 an alleged coup plot against Momoh was uncovered, reportedly implicating senior officials, including the first vice president Francis Minah, who was accused of conspiring to overthrow and assassinate the president.
The plot was suppressed and led to a major treason trial; Minah and several others were convicted and, in 1989, executed. Momoh survived this challenge but presided over the continuing collapse of the Sierra Leonean state, which slid toward the catastrophic civil war that erupted in 1991, and he was himself overthrown in a military coup in 1992.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
45103231987- Albrecht/Koehler/Schutz (CAM) id
CAM-451-1987-03-23
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Joseph Saidu Momoh suppressed the March 1987 plot and executed the conspirators including Vice President Minah.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
Wikipedia
Chicago Tribune
Globe and Mail
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →