India: Indias status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government For much of the continent, the foundations of a political culture necessary to sustain liberal democracy have been weak for most of the postcolonial era (roughly six decades for most African states). Robyn Dixon. In March 2021, there was a failed coup attempt in Niger, then in September 2021, it was Guineas turn: A high-ranking officer trained by the United States overthrew a president who had tried to cling to power. In addition to concerns over growing corruption and rising insecurity, this undermined his personal legitimacy. A curation of original analyses, data visualizations, and commentaries, examining the debates and efforts to improve health worldwide. Sudan became an international pariah when it hosted Osama bin Laden and other militants in the 1990s, when al-Bashir had empowered a hard-line Islamist government. During the presidents weekslong public absence prior, at least one man was arrested for questioning his health. March 23, 2023 African Mr. Kufuor said any attempt by leaders in Africa to restrict the freedom of the citizenry will stifle progress in the region. Despite the decline, a plurality of countries (twenty-two) are considered partially free, in line with the sixteen-year average. Dictators in Africa using social media to cling to power Hybrid dictatorships: What its like to live under a Dictatorship. Dictators often employ illegal and/or immoral methods to maintain their power and control, including the use of secret police, indefinite arrests, and concentration camps. 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. Denis Sassou Nguesso took power in 1997, and has remained the president of the Republic of Congo. There is a consensus among UN and development agencies, international financial institutions, and many Africans that good governance is critical. Ghana is the most notable, positive exception in West Africa. These countries usually have low levels of social development, underdeveloped civil organizations, and weak institutions of government. COVID-19 presents a unique opportunity: were the United States to launch a vast vaccination assistance program, it would affirm to many Africans that democracy and good governance can address their ills. And this is a problem everywhere that the West fetishizes sticking to a strict electoral calendar, said Mr. Salifu, while ignoring or downplaying other elements of democracy like a free press, freedom from political repression or human rights. This is understandable, as the terms are very similar. One reason that democracy may remain the favoured political system for so many African societies - even in countries where it has yet to be realised - is the poor performance of authoritarian governments. The pandemic is exacerbating a decline of democracy across sub-Saharan Africa. The situation could have been even more Nonetheless, the index provides an objective standard and vocabulary with which to assess and compare personal freedoms across Africa. Like most dictators, they also often employ secret police and violence to silence critics. Indeed, it is telling that while many people supported the coups that removed Mr Cond and Mr Keta, the most recent surveys conducted by Afrobarometer found that 76% of Guineans and 70% of Malians reject military rule. Its a recipe for the kind of prolonged conflict that has devastated other countries in the Middle East and Africa, from Lebanon and Syria to Libya and Ethiopia. More Africans live under fully or partially authoritarian states today than at most points in the last two decades. It uneasily shares its waters with regional heavyweights Egypt and Ethiopia. He wouldn't be the only one in Africa. Return to text. Meanwhile, the number of African countries that Freedom House rated not free has grown from a low of fourteen in 2006 and 2008 to twenty in 2021. countries Impact of African leaders characteristics and regime Power is obtained and passed on through family connections. The same administrations Young African Leaders Initiative, which has been reinvigorated by the Joe Biden administration, seeks to groom future leaders in a democratic context. But he also calls forusers to act responsibly and remember thatnot everything found on social media is true. Renewing America, Backgrounder A president who had ruled for three decades was killed on the battlefield, and his son was quickly installed in his place a violation of the Constitution. As in other parts of the world, it thus remains unclear whether the increasing prevalence and importance of the internet and social media, in their totality, will have a beneficial, deleterious, or ambiguous effect on democracy. At his swearing-in, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said he would lead a government that serves, not a government that rules. Many Africans, it seems, stand ready to push for the same from their own leaders and governments. Yet, if a witchs brew of jihadi terrorists, criminal networks, and the disaffected destroy sitting governments, the human rights consequences certainly will be worse than the status quo. 2021) Min Aung Hlaing (born 3 July 1956) is a Burmese politician and army general who has ruled Myanmar as the chairman of the State Administration Council since seizing power in the February 2021 coup dtat. List Of Dictatorship Countries & Countries Ruled by Dictator Similarly, former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keta was accused of rigging the 2020 legislative elections. Back in Uganda,the government in the capital Kampala has also been trying to make itharder for Ugandans to get independent information online by imposing taxes on mobile data. Despite the fact that hundreds of people have been injured and at least 79 killed, the Sudanese people continue to demand their democratic rights. The enforcement of pandemic restrictions by security services has often been brutal, provoking demonstrations in Kenya and even in more advanced democracies such as South Africa. Young peoplein particular, he highlights, are now ablewith the help of the internetto react immediately to laws and bans, and make their opinions known about the performance of the government or of private institutions. An observer signs a paper marking the closing of the polls at a polling station in Mekele during Tigrays regional elections in September 2020. "It will also take time for those in power to stop using surveillance and monitoring as a means to counter criticism. Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic) North Korea. 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. Following military takeovers in five different African countries in the past year, some have suggested that democracy may not be the best form of government on the continent. Africa This is a critical point. Examples include the Personalist/Military dictatorship of Pakistan from 1977 to 1988 and the Single-Party/Military hybrid that controlled El Salvador from 1948 to 1984. 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.". Yet, a single defining characteristic for these countries is difficult to pin down. Human rights activist Opiyo says that with reports like these, it is becoming clear thatthe earlier view of social media as "a liberating force for democracy" is disappearing: "(N)ow we see the dangers associated with it, and how social media can be used to undermine democratic processes. 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. By entering your email and clicking subscribe, you're agreeing to receive announcements from CFR about our products and services, as well as invitations to CFR events. [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. 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. Chart: Malaria: Progress and Challenges | Statista Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Friday, It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa.. dictatorship Its an explosive cocktail. Millions of people across the Sahel region have been displaced, and thousands are dead and often, people say that politicians seem not to notice or care, driving fancy cars and sending their children to expensive foreign schools. November 4, 2022 Then in October, it was Sudans: The countrys top generals seized power, tearing up a power-sharing deal that was supposed to lead to the countrys first free election in decades. June 2, 2022, Stopping Illegal Gun Trafficking Through South Florida, Blog Post Russia is a federal semi-presidential republic and an oligarchy. Even so, continuing to build institutional infrastructure is the unglamorous way to promote a democratic trajectory in Africa. A democratic decline, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is underway in sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini is currently ruled by king Makhosetive III Dlamini since 1986. Dictators In Africa NMN Africa 8. Control over political funds will be no less decisive than the battlefield, De Waal said. "This method is gaining ground in countries whose leaders are desperately struggling to maintain their image and reputation on social media.". Arab Gulf countries have looked to the Horn of Africa in recent years as they have sought to project power across the region. In April alone, Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika were forced to 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". Germany's 49 public transport ticket, Buhari's government banned Nigerians from accessing the micro-blogging site. 2021 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. A dictator may have a team of officials who advise him or her and help keep the government running, but these officials ultimately have very little control or influence. Opposition figures including Tundu Lissu and Freeman Mbowe have called for a new constitution that limits presidential powers. Multiple political parties may exist, but one dominates the government, makes all the rules, is free to disseminate propaganda, and controls every aspect of every election (which may offer voters only a single candidate), thereby ensuring they win every time. 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. Single-party dictatorships: 5. The West Is Sending Light Tanks to Ukraine. Theres a belief that strongmen can better face the security risks, especially in the Sahelian countries where violence is spiraling, said Anna Schmauder, a research fellow focused on the Sahel in the conflict research unit of the Dutch think tank Clingendael. Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that using the pandemic as a pretext, authorities in some countries have deployed heavy-handed security responses and emergency measures to crush dissent, criminalize basic freedoms, silence independent reporting, and curtail the activities of nongovernmental organizations. Freedom House reported in late 2020 that democracy in eighty countries was worse off due to the pandemic. Egypt has close ties to Sudans military, which it sees as an ally against Ethiopia. Military dictatorship: 2. Personal security in many parts of Africa has declined dramatically, in some places because of a jihadi onslaught, in others from criminal gangs, and in still others from ethnic and religious conflicts often exacerbated by self-serving politicians. Russia launches pre-dawn missile attack on Ukraine, Chaos at port as thousands rush to leave Sudan. Global Health Program, Innovating Solutions to the Climate Crisis, Virtual Event Why African Nations Support U.S. Anti-Racism Protesters. This was an unpopular strategy, particularly because neither the constitutional referendum nor the general election that he subsequently won were free and fair. The military takes control of the country (usually through a direct coup), installs the dictator of its choosing (typically the highest-ranking military officer), and uses force of arms to preserve its power. February 13, 2023 Republic of Congo. 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. EXPLAINER: What Is Happening in Sudan, and How Does it Meanwhile, similar reports are also surfacing fromwest Africa: InNigeria,President Muhammadu Buhari"criticized the activists of the #EndSARS movement in June and called for action to be taken against them. "If it did, it was punished. Countries under Dictatorship in 2021 DevelopmentAid The Modern Worlds Dictatorship Countries African Dictators A Global View of Dictators Is China a dictatorship? Silja Frhlich is a German-born journalist. Dictators Africa has been hit by a spate of coups that threaten to take it back to the 1980s and the era of military rule. But while it is tempting to interpret the spate of coups as evidence that democracy in Africa is dying, that would be a mistake. April 20, 2023. Countries are responding to the World Health Organization (WHO) call to action by putting into place best-practice TFA policies. Countdown to 2023: WHO report on global trans-fat elimination 2021 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. WebList of Every Communist Country in the World as of 2021: China. 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. In Uganda,author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija posted comments that were critical of the government on social media, which led to his detention, during which he allegedly wastortured by security agents. When Facebook took action, President Museveni's press secretary, Don Wanyama, whose Facebook and Instagram accounts were also suspended, accused Facebook of trying to influence the 2021 election in Uganda: "Shame on the foreign powers who think they can impose a puppet government on Uganda by disabling the online accounts of NRM supporters," Wanyama wrote on Twitter at the time. In Burkina Faso, a country that has experienced a lot of coups, there were a handful of pro-putsch rallies the day after the military seized power, but many people just went to work as usual. Over the past decade, the Fed kept interest rates low while it deployed trillions of dollars in stimulus and expanded its regulatory oversight. In both countries, civilian leaders lost popularity in part because they departed from democracy, not simply because citizens lost faith with it. Paradoxically, the weakness of Burkina Fasos armed forces was a major factor in the coup. Instead, presidents atrophied support because they undermined their own democratic credentials in a context of rising instability and - in the case of Burkina Faso and Mali - jihadist insurgencies. 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. In Tanzania, Uganda's neighbor,Twitter took similar action, removing268 accounts for spreading "malicious reports" directed at members and supporters of the Tanzanian human rights organization Fichua Tanzania and its founder. Now that it has, theyre warning that if the coup plotters arent punished, there will be more coups in the region. The former Head of State says the continent cannot thrive politically, socially, and economically if Africans are subjected to despotism. This means that the ruler or party has complete control. Thats more than 114 million people now ruled by soldiers who have illegally seized power. Dictatorships have shallow levels of freedom. Annual Lecture on China. All the attention goes to organizing periodic elections, which in most cases are rigged, he said. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? 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 Initial progress was remarkable: In 1989, two-thirds of African states were not free, as measured by Freedom House. Also significant has been the role of the police and the army, often vestiges of colonialism, which have been a cause and consequence of power systems favoring a coterie of elites. Sub-Saharan Africa remains a region of stark political and socio-economic contrasts and many longstanding challenges. Web6. After the central government used the pandemic to postpone parliamentary elections scheduled for August 2020, leaders from the Tigray region held local elections in defiance of the order. We should actually address the political system thats not working.. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Other dictators across Latin America also released political prisoners and hastened transitions to democratic elections, a transformation Carter encouraged without sending Americans into combat. C.V. Starr & Co. Although it is true that some dictators are far more strict and overbearing than others, as a rule, dictatorships tend to result in a loss of personal autonomy, quality of life, and political choice for everyday citizens. Vietnam. Countries & Regions: Freedom in the World 2021 | Freedom House
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