Other dictators across Latin America also released political prisoners and hastened transitions to democratic elections, a transformation Carter encouraged without sending Americans into combat. "The spread of fake news is a real problem," said Ugandan human rights activist Nicholas Opiyo in a DW interview. Cellou Binani/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. Social media is becoming another tool of oppression.". John Campbell and Chadian soldiers walk by the coffin of the late Chadian president Idriss Deby during the state funeral in Ndjamena last April. Africas Leaders for Life - Council on Foreign Relations West African leaders on Friday called an emergency summit on the situation in Burkina Faso, where the new military leader, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, told the nation in his first public address on Thursday night that he would return the country to constitutional order when the conditions are right., The resurgence of coups has alarmed the regions remaining civilian leaders. The poor performance of authoritarian forms of government on African soil, and the universal desire to have a say in decisions that affect our own lives, helps to explain why support for democracy remains high. 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. Backgrounder in Africa 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. Crowds gathered in the main plaza in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on Tuesday, a day after the military announced their takeover on state television. Monarchies: 3. Chart: Malaria: Progress and Challenges | Statista Military dictatorship: 2. 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. Political instability can manifest itself in severe episodes of violence, as is already being seen in Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Nigeria. People celebrating in the streets with members of Guineas armed forces in September, after soldiers toppled Guineas president, Alpha Cond, in a coup detat in the capital, Conakry. Read about our approach to external linking. by Will Freeman People living under a dictatorship are often persecuted for unethical reasons, including their religion, sexual orientation, or economic status. Dictatorship Dagalo, a one-time camel herder from Darfur, has vast livestock holdings and gold mining operations. 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 Arab Gulf countries have looked to the Horn of Africa in recent years as they have sought to project power across the region. The coup in Mali happened partly because of the governments failure to stem the spread of groups loosely allied to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. The United State and the European Union have imposed sanctions on two Wagner-linked gold mining firms in Sudan accused of smuggling. Why Now? Dictatorships have shallow levels of freedom. 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 rankings evaluate 85 countries across 26 rankings drawn from a survey of more than 17,000 global citizens, measuring 73 dimensions that have the potential to 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. Therefore, the entire country operates on the whims of that one person. 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. First is that an autocracy nearly always focuses power in a single individual person, whereas dictatorshipssingle-party dictatorships in particularsometimes spread the power throughout a small group of people (say, the leaders of the dictator's political party). But here, Leonard Mbulle-Nziege and Nic Cheeseman argue that - despite these set-backs - democracy is the way forward for Africa. The African Union suspended Mali, Guinea and Sudan, but not Chad a double standard that analysts warned could have dire consequences for Africa. The dilemma remains that Africa is buffeted by immediate security challenges that will not wait for a democratic culture to develop. What can Africas foreign friends do to encourage a democratic trajectory? 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 and Saudi Arabia in their war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to a report published by the South African Institute of International Affairs, shutting down the internet andarresting government critics voicing their views on social media channels are signs that several governmentsin sub-Saharan Africa are becomingincreasingly autocratic. Both the military and the public were outraged that their officers were not well-enough equipped or trained to withstand such an attack. 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. Heavy gunfire was heard in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as fighting raged between rival forces for the sixth day despite a truce agreement. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news, are each seeking to seize control of Sudan, has made inroads across Africa in recent years, removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, has vast livestock holdings and gold mining operations. According to Opiyo, this involves using bots and trolls, computer programs, and paid users who use fake accounts to flood social media with posts favorable to the government. Chad and South Sudan look most immediately at risk of potential spillover. 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. American-made guns trafficked through Florida ports are destabilizing the Caribbean and Central America and fueling domestic crime. Those who believe that he is a dictator argue that he imprisons his opponents, removed freedom of speechthe press can only publish what he allows them toand has restructured the government to give himself more and longer-lasting power. From the outside looking in, life within a dictatorship appears akin to being in a toxic relationship or living situation. 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. Dictatorships seem much more extreme and unethical to people who enjoy the privilege of an outside perspective. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni is suspected of using fake social media accounts to consolidate his power. India had been an exception to the rule that capitalism comes before democracy. 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. Military Dictatorship: Definition and Examples More broadly, digital repression has become commonplaceespecially around electionsas leaders seek to throttle the opposition and influence popular discourse, frequently through disinformation. Unless it is swiftly ended, the conflict will become a multi-level game with regional and some international actors pursuing their interests, using money, arms supplies and possibly their own troops or proxies, he wrote. An observer signs a paper marking the closing of the polls at a polling station in Mekele during Tigrays regional elections in September 2020. Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa? The Guardian view on India at a crossroads: development, not 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. These five nations that have recently experienced military coups form a broken line that stretches across the wide bulge of Africa, from Guinea on the west coast to Sudan in the east. 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. Control over political funds will be no less decisive than the battlefield, De Waal said. Poor leadership has been facilitated and enabled by weak institutions of government. Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars, C.V. Starr & Co. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive 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. Democracy in decline in Africa? Not so fast - ISS Africa This timeline traces the role of the outside forces that have beleaguered eastern Congo since the end of the colonial era. Finding a way out of instability and insecurity will therefore require building stronger democratic institutions that can withstand manipulation by political leaders, not authoritarian ones that exclude citizens and run counter to their aspirations. Obiang's regime is known for state-sanctioned kidnappings, torture of prisoners, and unlawful killings. 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. This My research suggests that the United States is investing in poor partners. But a military takeover doesnt necessarily lead to a more effective response against insurgencies continuing attacks in Mali are evidence of that, she said. November 8, 2022 Return to text. Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Annual Lecture, Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: Religion and Technology, Virtual Event Mr. Kufuor said any attempt by leaders in Africa to restrict the freedom of the citizenry will stifle progress in the region. and. Buharis remarkable reversal is an indication of the security threat posed by groups such as Boko Haram that draw on the alienation of many Africans from their governments, in part the result of stalling or declining democracy. South Africa continues to wrestle with the fallout of Across 11 countries surveyed in both 2008-2009 and 2019-2020, the Also called a dominant party dictatorship or one-party state. Wagner group surges in Africa as U.S. influence fades, leak reveals. For some, this was evidence that the African Union has become little more than a weak and biased dictators club. Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Friday, It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa.. Despite repeated promises to leave office in 2024 (when his term limit is reached), Putin spearheaded a 2020 constitutional amendment enabling him to remain in power until 2036. Presidents that have changed their countries constitutions to eliminate the two-term limit include Presidents Gnassingb (Togo), Museveni (Uganda), Dby (Chad), Such turmoil will grow as elites compete for power and citizens resist oppressive regimes, and will, in turn, inhibit social and economic development, to the disadvantage of the continents rapidly growing population. Why Sudan's conflict matters to the rest of the world | AP News June 2, 2022, Stopping Illegal Gun Trafficking Through South Florida, Blog Post [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. Nobel Laureate Chinua Achebes words about his own country apply just as well to many other African countries: The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it an epidemic of coup dtats.. In 2021, social media shutdownsalso took place in Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Senegal, Congo, Zambia, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sudan. But some critics remain unconvinced. It's time for the United States to get serious about stopping the flow. But he also calls forusers to act responsibly and remember thatnot everything found on social media is true. Not everyone supported the coup. African Africa 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. There are eight dictatorships in Asia, seven in the Eurasian region of the world, and twelve spanning from Africa s northern parts to the Middle East. There are currently 22 dictators in Africa, some worse than others. Nolan Quinn. During the presidents weekslong public absence prior, at least one man was arrested for questioning his health. From 1967 to 1974, Greece was ruled by an extreme right-wing military dictatorship known as the Regime of the Colonels. Others, such as Botswana, enjoy high levels of economic and social development. By 2021 this had dropped to 84, yet nearly half of the world's population was still classified as 'at risk' of malaria. Weekly. 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. Republic of Congo. Conceived as the principal defenders of the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has evolved into an institution with vast political, economic, and military power. [33] This publication is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy. As a result, on average African democracies achieve higher levels of economic growth while doing a better job of providing public services. While a large number of countries have Military takeovers are unlikely to provide an effective way out of this dangerous spiral, because every coup weakens democratic institutions and reasserts the power of the gun at the expense of the power of the ballot box. The military rulers, seen as standing up to self-interested foreigners, now have overwhelming support, according to analysts and local news reports. 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. A long-running civil war or partition of the Arab and African country into rival fiefdoms are also possible. The Five Kinds of Dictatorship 1. Vietnam. by Olivia Angelino, Thomas J. Bollyky, Elle Ruggiero and Isabella Turilli Article WebA military dictatorship is a type of dictatorship in which power is held by one or more military officers acting on behalf of the military. Hybrid dictatorships: What its like to live under a Dictatorship. Put another way, Africa can and does reap a democratic dividend - the problem comes when supposedly democratic leaders start to use undemocratic strategies to keep themselves in power against the wishes of their people. 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. WebThe country earned an 11-point score declinethe largest in Freedom in the World 2021 and its status declined to Not Free. While their president was imprisoned at a military base, hundreds of Malians celebrated with soldiers in the streets. Annual Lecture on China. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, with Ivan Kanapathy, Bonny Lin and Stephen S. Roach, Authors Note: Comparing and Quantifying Democracy, Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Annual Lecture. A political rival accused Obiang of cannibalism in 2004, but no evidence to support the claim has ever surfaced. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, and Joseph Krauss in Ottawa, Ontario, contributed. The persistence of religious and ethnic rivalries has been underestimated by African democrats and their friends abroad. This is often done via questionable means, including intimidation, imprisonment (lawful or not), physical violence, or even assassination. A look at what is happening and the impact it could have outside Sudan. Ukraine updates: Air defenses fend off attack near Kyiv, Ukraine: Russian troops edge closer to taking Bakhmut, Ukraine's counteroffensive: Goals, opportunities, risks, Truly revolutionary? Typically, dictators rise to power when a nation faces significant social issues, such as strong economic crises or unrest among the nation's people. As governments across the continent become, with some exceptions, more authoritarian, Africans will be increasingly alienated from those claiming to represent them. Impact of African leaders characteristics and regime President John Magufuli repeatedlydownplayed the threatposed by COVID-19, claiming that prayer had defeated the disease in his country. Burkina Faso this week joined a list of countries that have recently experienced military takeovers most plagued by insecurity, poor governance and frustrated youth. April 25, 2023 Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, African leaders complain about 'wave of coups'. In April alone, Sudan's Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Algeria's Abdelaziz Bouteflika were forced to 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. Globally in 2000 there were a total of 108 endemic countries. 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 Power is obtained and passed on through family connections. The United Arab Emirates, a rising A citizen casts her ballot during parliamentary elections in April 2021 in Praia, Cape Verde. What is more, despite growing frustration with the way that multiparty politics is performing, on average democracies generate higher economic growth and do a better job of providing public services, according to a study at the US's Cornell University. and. The former Head of State says the continent cannot thrive politically, socially, and economically if Africans are subjected to despotism. The situation could have been even more The external mediators risk becoming a traffic jam with no policeman, De Waal said. Meanwhile the U.S. said it will deploy additional capacities for possible evacuation and the U.N called for an immediate ceasefire. However, within this category, increasingly populist governments are suppressing opposition groups, postponing elections, eliminating term limits, and abusing human rights to maintain power. The pro-military sentiment does not extend to Sudan. Shortly afterward, Twitter also followed suit, closing11% of thenearly 3,500 accounts worldwide that allegedly spread pro-government propaganda. Yet by invoking democracy to legitimate military takeover, coup plotters create a rod for their own backs. After the coup in Burkina Faso, the regional economic bloc, ECOWAS, released a statement saying that such a move cannot be tolerated, and instructing the soldiers to return to their barracks. 8. In recent months, negotiations were underway for a return to the democratic transition. Why African Nations Support U.S. Anti-Racism Protesters. The rights of the people are typically suppressed in a dictatorship, sometimes to a great degree. What happens in Sudan will not stay in Sudan, said Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group. April 23, 2023 at 2:00 a.m. EDT. All the attention goes to organizing periodic elections, which in most cases are rigged, he said. Failing to counter crime and insurgency, some African leaders are seeking greater security involvement from the United States. Burkina Faso and 5 Other Coups in Africa, Explained - New York In fact, most dictators adopt common appellations such as "President" or "Prime Minister", so they must be identified via their actions and policies rather than their title. Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures, Backgrounder Some said they were inspired by the way the junta in neighboring Mali had stood up to France, the increasingly unpopular former colonial power. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else.. WebCurrent dictatorships include Russia, Equatorial New Guinea, and North Korea. - Council on Foreign Three years later, thatfigure had risen to 81 countries. 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. Sudan is Africas third-largest country by area and straddles the Nile River. Leonard Mbulle-Nziege is a research analyst at Africa Risk Consulting (ARC) and Nic Cheeseman is a professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham in the UK. Of these eight, half are small island states: Cape Verde, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, and Seychelles. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. This is thanks to an oil boom that enriched his family at the expense of the Equatorial Guinea citizens. Renewing America, Backgrounder Dictatorship, Democracy, and Development in Nigeria November 2021 Authors: Ope Oyedeji University of Southern Mississippi Preprints and early-stage 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. However, many people in long-running dictatorships such as North Korea and Cameroon have never experienced anything else, so living in a dictatorship is much less jarring and shocking to them. The largest recipients were Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Chad, South Sudan, and Niger. Eswatini is currently ruled by king Makhosetive III Dlamini since 1986. ", Meanwhile, some governments are even going further and targeting their citizens directly by exploiting their internet affinity:"Spy software is being bought by governments and installed specifically on smartphones,"Amnesty expert Ulm-Dsterhft told DW. WebList of Every Communist Country in the World as of 2021: China. But this demand angers some people who think that the military is acting in the countrys interest. 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. 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. The report states that in 2017, disinformation campaigns were carried out in 28 countries. April 13, 2023 Alex De Waal, a Sudan expert at Tufts University, wrote in a memo to colleagues this week that the conflict should be seen as the first round of a civil war.. Strong institutions of government are a common feature, acting as a bulwark against self-interested leaders, such as former South African President Jacob Zuma, who is now on trial for corruption. But it was not clear what ECOWAS could do, given its dubious record mediating in Mali. when approximately half of the 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. The terms "autocrat" and "autocracy" are often used interchangeably with "dictator" and "dictatorship". Littoral states are also, on average, freer than landlocked ones, likely benefitting from increased interactions with foreigners from democratic societiesa factor more important prior to the advent of the digital age. In 2021, five sitting African heads of state had been in power for more than three decades each: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea, Paul Biya Declan Walsh contributed reporting from Ouagadougou. President Hassan has shifted the country toward a more evidence-based approach to COVID-19 and reached out to the opposition. In some cases, this is because they enjoy the personal benefits of being in power and don't want to give them up. Web6. Countries are responding to the World Health Organization (WHO) call to action by putting into place best-practice TFA policies. Democracy is defined differentlyby the United Nations [PDF], academics [PDF], and politiciansand comes in various forms. Dictators are usually backed (especially financially) by groups of powerful people. When the third wave of democratization swept across much of Africa in the wake of the Cold War, hopes were high that Africans would begin to enjoy the freedoms afforded to citizens living in the former colonial powers. Russia is a federal semi-presidential republic and an oligarchy. The Presidents Malaria Initiative and Other U.S. Government In March 2021, Magufuli diedhis death was attributed to heart disease but was likely brought on by COVID-19. Things Fall Apart: Dictatorships, Development, and

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