Wagner group surges in Africa as U.S. influence fades, leak reveals. The largest recipients were Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Chad, South Sudan, and Niger. On the 20th anniversary of his crackdown in Eritrea, which is still a news and information black hole, Reporters Without 2023 BBC. All three Sahelian countries with recent coups Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad are grappling with Islamist insurgencies that keep spreading, capitalizing on local tensions and grievances against political elites. Russia, meanwhile, has long harbored plans to build a naval base capable of hosting up to 300 troops and four ships in Port Sudan, on a crucial Red Sea trading route for energy shipments to Europe. Four trends stand out: In its 2021 report, Freedom House rated only eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa as free. The United Arab Emirates, a rising military power that has expanded its presence across the Middle East and East Africa, has close ties to the Rapid Support Forces, which sent thousands of fighters to aid the UAE Democracy is defined differentlyby the United Nations [PDF], academics [PDF], and politiciansand comes in various forms. Will Merrow created the graphics for this article. Heads of state have deftly manipulated social cleavages and played up fears of malevolent foreign interference to deflect popular pressure away from their illiberal rule. Countries are responding to the World Health Organization (WHO) call to action by putting into place best-practice TFA policies. There is this notion that bad elections are worse than no elections at all, said Ms. Moderan. In neighboring Guinea, some initially greeted the coup leader as a liberator, but many also shut themselves up at home, afraid for the future. Unfortunately, democracy is still shaky in many countries, a number of which are fighting violent religious insurrections, and the likelihood of any fallen dictator being quickly replaced by another dictator is high. When necessary, a dictator may also make an effort to replace or amend the nation's constitution to empower, enrich, or otherwise benefit the dictator and his/her allies to a greater degree. In other countries, such as the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and South Sudan, power has changed hands more frequently, though transfers have come from coups, wars, or deals between elites made behind closed doors. By contrast, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been paralyzed by its inability or unwillingness to address the excesses of Zimbabwes ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National UnionPatriotic Front (ZANU-PF), because of its origins as a liberation movement. Examples can be found across Africa: from Guinea to Somalia to South Africa, democracy ratings slid amid the COVID-19 crisis. April 25, 2023 [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. President Obiang gained power in 1979 after ousting his uncle, Francisco Macas Nguema, and sentencing him to death by firing squad. American-made guns trafficked through Florida ports are destabilizing the Caribbean and Central America and fueling domestic crime. Both Twitter and Facebook accusethe Ugandan government of using social media asa tool politicians to manipulate public opinion, spread disinformation, and intimidate the opposition. Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Friday, It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa.. Again, the reasons were mainly political, withprotests, electionsand political unrest resulting ininformation shutdowns across the continent, with no end in sight: "It will take a while for those in power to understand that young people today expect them to sit down and talk to them,"political consultant Angelo Izama said. Mali and Burkina Fasos armed forces have little to no control over vast areas of their territories, and lean heavily on self-defense militias with little training and questionable human rights records. April 23, 2023 at 2:00 a.m. EDT. Rwanda is an exception: its social development indicators rank higher than its human rights standing, and its president, Paul Kagame, is relatively young at sixty-three years of age. Where democracy stands in Africa today has myriad influences, including the legacy of colonialism and the emergence of the digital age. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. A political rival accused Obiang of cannibalism in 2004, but no evidence to support the claim has ever surfaced. "We documented this last year for Togo and Rwanda, for example. Also called a dominant party dictatorship or one-party state. Last November, 49 military police officers and four civilians were killed in the northern outpost of Inata. Ultimately, said Ms. Schmauder, Military powers are kind of there to stay, and doing everything to cement their own power.. Return to text. Similarly, former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keta was accused of rigging the 2020 legislative elections. Yet, these movements have frequently been met with an equal and opposite reaction: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni cracked down on activists and implemented a social media ban; in Nigeria, protesters were massacred by army and police forces. A democratic decline, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is underway in sub-Saharan Africa. The Economist declared it country of the year. Even before the pandemic, an increasing number of African heads of state had moved to undermine term limits or rig elections to remain in power. In 2021, social media shutdownsalso took place in Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Senegal, Congo, Zambia, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sudan. Egypt relies on the Nile to support its population of over 100 million, and Ethiopia is working on a massive upstream dam that has alarmed both Cairo and Khartoum. by After authoritarian monarchies, these tend to be the longest-lasting dictatorships, as they can more easily install a new dictator if the existing one leaves office (rare) or dies. The president is nowhere to be seen. The type of dictatorship a country is ruled by typically comes down to the methods the dictator used to obtain power and how they go about maintaining it. Small island nations make up an outsize share of free African countries, and they are freer on average than similarly sized countries on the mainland, such as Djibouti and Eswatini. Renewing America, Timeline The fighting, which began as Sudan attempted to transition to democracy, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters. WebThe country earned an 11-point score declinethe largest in Freedom in the World 2021 and its status declined to Not Free. Hes also believed to have been well-paid by Gulf countries for the RSFs service in Yemen battling Iran-aligned rebels. by James McBride, Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman On 18 September 2001, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki took advantage of the fact that the world was still stunned by the 9/11 terrorist attacks to transform his country into a dictatorship and ban all independent media. The West Is Sending Light Tanks to Ukraine. West Africa and East Africa both have mostly partially free regimes. Cellou Binani/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. Single-party dictatorships: 5. Resilient institutions offer the best tonic to unscrupulous elitespresent everywhere, but a particular scourge in sub-Saharan Africa, where institutions have been deliberately weakened during the colonial period and subsequently by big men and their associated militaries. Its citizens acquired the right to vote well before modern industrial In general, the lack of accountability that occurs under dictators and military juntas leads to greater corruption and less effective economic policy. Others, such as Botswana, enjoy high levels of economic and social development. Additionally, the inabilitiesof many governmentsdemocratic in form and partially so in substanceto respond to the security challenges they face underminepopular support for a democratic trajectory. Taken together, these forces also drive internal displacement and outward migrationboth to other African countries and to Europe. Fighting in Sudan between forces loyal to two top generals has put that nation at risk of collapse and could have consequences far beyond its borders. Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures, Backgrounder This growing trend is driving democratic backsliding on the continent. During a 2009 visit to Ghana, U.S. President Barack Obama famously said in an address to the parliament, Africa doesnt need strongmen, it needs strong institutions. But institution-building requires time and patience. The victor of the latest fighting is likely to be Sudans next president, with the loser facing exile, arrest or death. The African Union suspended Mali, Guinea and Sudan, but not Chad a double standard that analysts warned could have dire consequences for Africa. An appropriate example of this occurred in 2020 when Russian president Vladimir Putin and his party introduced amendments to the country's constitution that reworked term limits, enabling Putin to remain in power until 2036. President John Magufuli repeatedlydownplayed the threatposed by COVID-19, claiming that prayer had defeated the disease in his country. There have been eight coups, successful and unsuccessful, in West and Central Africa between 2020 and 2022. The external mediators risk becoming a traffic jam with no policeman, De Waal said. First, apps are downloaded via email attachments, then the software instals itself and accesses microphones, cameras, and social media.". Renewing America, Backgrounder What happens in Sudan will not stay in Sudan, said Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group. WebCurrent dictatorships include Russia, Equatorial New Guinea, and North Korea. Even so, continuing to build institutional infrastructure is the unglamorous way to promote a democratic trajectory in Africa. Nearly all are mired in their own internal conflicts, with various rebel groups operating along the porous borders. Gunfire rings out. Current Heads of State & Dictators - Planet Rulers, President Faustin Archange Touadera of the, President Flix Tshilombo Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, President Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, President Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan of. What makes post-independence sub-Saharan Africa so interesting is that they have witnessed all forms of regimes including royal dictatorship, military dictatorship and civilian dictatorship making up the autocratic regimes, as well as democratic regimes that include parliamentary democracy, mixed democracy and presidential democracy. October 6, 2022. WebFreedom in the World 2021 Status Change Explanations. Facebook alsostatedthat as part of its strategy, the Ministry of Information had been using "fake and duplicate accounts" for propaganda purposes. A look at what is happening and the impact it could have outside Sudan. It comes two years after they jointly carried out a military coup and derailed a transition to democracy that had begun after protesters in 2019 helped force the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir. In Burkina Faso, an attack last November that left almost 50 military police officers dead is considered a key event that led to the coup two months later. From 2015 to 2020, the United States provided over $4.8 billion in SFA to sub-Saharan Africa. with Alice C. Hill, Carmichael S. Roberts Jr. and Jennifer Wilcox "If it did, it was punished. Supporters of a military According toanalysis by the Oxford Internet Institute, the spread of misinformation driven by political organizations on social media has been sharply on the rise in recent years. Europe North America Oceania South America See also Coup d'tat List of coups and coup attempts by country List of revolutions and rebellions (chronological listing) References ^ "Military coup ousts Niger president Mamadou Tandja". With a population that is much younger than those of China, the US and the EU, there will be renewed interest in Indias potential to be a beacon of liberal values. There, a popular uprising had succeeded in overthrowing a military dictator in 2019, but there has been sustained public outrage since last October when the military took back full control of the government, and detained the civilian prime minister who had served in what was supposed to be a power-sharing government. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, and Joseph Krauss in Ottawa, Ontario, contributed. Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces that grew out of Darfurs notorious Janjaweed militias, are each seeking to seize control of Sudan. March 23, 2023 President Hassan has shifted the country toward a more evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and reached out to the opposition. WebAs of 2020, there are 52 nations with a dictator or authoritarian regime ruling the country: Three in Latin America and South America, 27 in Asia and the Middle East, and 22 in The Five Kinds of Dictatorship 1. The Modern Worlds Dictatorship Countries African Dictators A Global View of Dictators Is China a dictatorship? The leader may be supported by a party or military, but still retains the overwhelming majority of power, especially regarding whom to place in which governmental roles, and relies heavily upon their own charisma to maintain control. This has been seen in Nigeria, where #EndSARS protesters organized online to demand police reforms; in Uganda, where presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, used social media to catalyze his People Power movement; and in Ghana, where Twitter users instigated a national discussion on illegal small-scale mining. The military took advantage of public anger at a stolen parliamentary election and the governments failure to protect its people from violent extremists, and arrested President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and forced him to resign on state television. Another reason is of course the need to try and avoid international condemnation and sanctions by pledging a return to multiparty elections and democratic governance. by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert Mr. Kufuor said any attempt by leaders in Africa to restrict the freedom of the citizenry will stifle progress in the region. Denis Sassou Nguesso took power in 1997, and has remained the president of the Republic of Congo. The United Nations [PDF] and advanced democracies including France, Japan, and the United Kingdom have similarly linked foreign aid to good-governance reforms. Annual Lecture on China. By Greg Miller. Vietnam. "This method is gaining ground in countries whose leaders are desperately struggling to maintain their image and reputation on social media.". Why African Nations Support U.S. Anti-Racism Protesters. Kenya and the Ivory Coast, both with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of around $2,000, are significantly richer than Malawi and the breakaway territory of Somaliland (rated separately from Somalia by Freedom House), each with income per person at around $400. and. Personalistic dictatorships: 4. On April 21, 1976, a group of four Greek Army colonels overthrew the caretaker government in a coup d'etat. Not everyone supported the coup. In the past 18 months, in similar scenes, military leaders have toppled the governments of Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan and now, Burkina Faso. The terms "autocrat" and "autocracy" are often used interchangeably with "dictator" and "dictatorship". In 2011, the Obama White House launched the Open Government Partnership, an initiative in which member governmentsover a dozen of them Africanmade concrete commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, and fight corruption. Sudan borders five additional countries: Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Eritrea and South Sudan, which seceded in 2011 and took 75% of Khartoums oil resources with it. But when the countrys Supreme Court upheld incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addos victory, Mahama accepted the results, conceding that he was legally bound by the decisions of the Supreme Court. Large-scale violence was absent from the electoral process; five people, however, were killed in postelection violence. This third annual report monitors global progress towards the 2023 target for global elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA), highlighting achievements from the past year. Secondly, while the term "dictatorship" is widely understood to include inherent abuse of powerthere is arguably no such thing as a benevolent dictatorhistory offers several examples of autocrats who tried to do what was best for their people. The report states that in 2017, disinformation campaigns were carried out in 28 countries. Presidential term limits, where in place, have been frequently circumvented through so-called constitutional coups. Chadian soldiers walk by the coffin of the late Chadian president Idriss Deby during the state funeral in Ndjamena last April. Renewing America, Backgrounder Over the past decade, the Fed kept interest rates low while it deployed trillions of dollars in stimulus and expanded its regulatory oversight. After signaling an intention to lift all media bans in the country, Hassan walked back the decision. Military dictatorship: 2. This becomes clear if we go beyond the headlines to ask why some of the recent coups have been publicly celebrated. Global Health Program, Innovating Solutions to the Climate Crisis, Virtual Event Twitter said in a statement, however, that "(i)n most cases, the accounts were suspended for various violations of our platform manipulation and spam policies.". The United Arab Emirates, a rising military power that has expanded its presence across the Middle East and East Africa, has close ties to the Rapid Support Forces, which sent thousands of fighters to aid the UAE February 13, 2023 Apr 9, 2021 | Tags: President | Category: 1 Africa dictators, Africa Leaders, All, Dictators. The pro-military sentiment does not extend to Sudan. Monarchies: 3. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Power is obtained and passed on through family connections. Soldiers received a rapturous welcome after they seized power in Guinea last year, This supporters of Mali's football team held a picture of coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita before a recent Africa Cup of Nations match, Sudanese protesters continue to risk their lives to demand an end to military rule, Rwanda markets itself as a high-tech hub but there is no room for criticism of the government, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Sudans economic woes would seem to provide an opening for Western nations to use economic sanctions to pressure both sides to stand down. The challenge facing American and other policy makers is to support African governments in taking meaningful steps toward democracy while at the same time acknowledging the legitimate grievances that underpin so much of the insecurity. But whats happening is the exact opposite, said Ornella Moderan, head of the Sahel Program at the Institute for Security Studies, which is based in Pretoria, South Africa. The military also couldnt stop Chads president, Idris Dby, a retired general, from being killed on the battlefield as rebels tried to overthrow his government. by James McBride The sanctions have caused anger, but against ECOWAS, not the junta. The military rulers, seen as standing up to self-interested foreigners, now have overwhelming support, according to analysts and local news reports. Whether or not Putin is a dictator is a matter of some debate. It's time for the United States to get serious about stopping the flow. by CFR.org Editors Eswatini is currently ruled by king Makhosetive III Dlamini since 1986. According to Freedom House, Malawi was the sole country globally whose democracy strengthened during COVID-19 lockdowns, after it became the first African country to overturn a fraudulent election through legal means and conduct a free and fair follow-up election. Yet Rwanda is the exception rather than the rule. Whoever takes power now, he needs to follow the example of Mali reject France, and start to take our own decisions, said Anatole Compaore, a customer in a cellphone market in Ouagadougou, in the early hours of the coup. More broadly, digital repression has become commonplaceespecially around electionsas leaders seek to throttle the opposition and influence popular discourse, frequently through disinformation. While autocratic countries are not always malevolent, they often still encounter resistance from citizens who would prefer to have a greater say in the government's policy-making process. Declan Walsh contributed reporting from Ouagadougou. But theres no one-size-fits-all explanation. by Will Freeman But some critics remain unconvinced. In their first meeting, in April 2021, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari proposed to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the headquarters of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) be moved from Stuttgart, Germany, to an African country. The nation turns on the television and collectively switches to the state channel, where they see new leaders, wearing berets and fatigues, announce that the Constitution has been suspended, national assembly dissolved, borders closed. Africa has been hit by a spate of coups that threaten to take it back to the 1980s and the era of military rule. It has been endowed in perpetuity through a gift from CFR members Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener. The vast majority of these large SFA recipients are repressive, heavily Here is a list of countries operating under a single-party dictatorship in 2021: China The Communist Party of China has been in political control for the last 71 Until recently, successive Nigerian governments hadopposed an AFRICOM headquarters on the continent, as had Nigerias political class. Poor leadership has been facilitated and enabled by weak institutions of government. This third annual report monitors global progress towards the 2023 target for global elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA), highlighting This article was translated from German by Chrispin Mwakideu. Initial signs following Magufulis death are promising for Tanzanian democracy: Samia Suluhu Hassan, the vice president under Magufuli, was sworn in as president as prescribed by the constitution. WebUsing evidence from the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and the countries involved in the Arab Spring, we argue that dictatorship in Africa serves a function akin to Myrdal's United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it an epidemic of coup dtats.. Protesters against military coup in Khartoum, Sudan, in October. Failing to counter crime and insurgency, some African leaders are seeking greater security involvement from the United States. Heavy gunfire was heard in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as fighting raged between rival forces for the sixth day despite a truce agreement. Africa has several long-standing dictators despite the fact that the continent as a whole is quite volatile politically. In addition to concerns over growing corruption and rising insecurity, this undermined his personal legitimacy. As of 2020, there are 52 nations with a dictator or authoritarian regime ruling the country: Three in Latin America and South America, 27 in Asia and the Middle East, and 22 in Africa. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Opiyo believes that this is whysocial media regulations are becoming necessary. Ulm-Dsterhft warns users not to download any unknown apps, take a close look at dubious social media accounts, and contact the app operators if in doubt. But here, Leonard Mbulle-Nziege and Nic Cheeseman argue that - despite these set-backs - democracy is the way forward for Africa. Some have been in power for decades, such as President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial New Guinea. Now, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for earlier reconciliation efforts with neighboring Eritrea, is waging war in the north of his country. To compare levels of democracy across different countries, Freedom House, a well-regarded nongovernmental organization, publishes an index that measures by standard criteria the degree of freedom enjoyed by people in countries and some territories and assigns to each a numerical score. Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Friday, It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa.. when approximately half of the All the attention goes to organizing periodic elections, which in most cases are rigged, he said. Since its postwar founding, the UN agency has garnered both praise and criticism for its response to international public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. This is thanks to an oil boom that enriched his family at the expense of the Equatorial Guinea citizens. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive
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