Given the degree of censorship and control China's government leverages over its citizens, most political experts would call it a dictatorship. China is one of the few remaining Communist countries. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Will Merrow created the graphics for this article. Dictators are usually backed (especially financially) by groups of powerful people. Coups in Africa: Why they dont spell the end of democracy In their book "Dictators and Dictatorships: Understanding Authoritarian Regimes and Their Leaders", authors Natasha M. Ezrow and Erica Frantz lay out five types of dictatorships: Power is obtained and maintained through military might. 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. On the 20th anniversary of his crackdown in Eritrea, which is still a news and information black hole, Reporters Without President Vladimir Putin is currently serving his fourth term as President of Russia. 2023 BBC. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules, What Europe's royals could teach King Charles. 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. 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. More Africans live under fully or partially authoritarian states today than at most points in the last two decades. Yet Rwanda is the exception rather than the rule. The persistence of religious and ethnic rivalries has been underestimated by African democrats and their friends abroad. 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. Globalization not realm for dictators Eswatini (previously Swaziland) has an absolute monarchy dictatorship in which the king rules over the country. Just like a dictatorship, an autocracy is a government headed by a single ruler (the autocrat) whose decisions are not subject to legal restraints and who exercises unlimited and undisputed power. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush In some cases, this is because they enjoy the personal benefits of being in power and don't want to give them up. 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. 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. 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. After signaling an intention to lift all media bans in the country, Hassan walked back the decision. 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. Taken together, these forces also drive internal displacement and outward migrationboth to other African countries and to Europe. 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. 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. 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 internet and social media are increasingly empowering Africas youthful population to become politically active. October 6, 2022. 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. As a result, on average African democracies achieve higher levels of economic growth while doing a better job of providing public services. 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. But the juntas popularity has grown, even though it seized power again in May of 2021 the second putsch in an unsettling nine-month span this time from the civilian leaders who had been appointed to lead the transition to elections. Despite the decline, a plurality of countries (twenty-two) are considered partially free, in line with the sixteen-year average. Military dictatorship: 2. Germany's 49 public transport ticket, Buhari's government banned Nigerians from accessing the micro-blogging site. Under the command of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party faces a host of domestic and international challenges as it aims to bolster Chinas great-power status. In southern Africa, the triumvirate of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa are all considered free. 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. But some critics remain unconvinced. In Sudan, for example, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against a military power grab in 2021 that undermined the supposed transition of power into civilian hands following the removal of long-time leader Omal al-Bashir in 2019. Dictatorships suffer from an obvious and significant imbalance of power. 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). Dictatorships have shallow levels of freedom. That said, there are two important differences between dictatorships and autocracies. From the outside looking in, life within a dictatorship appears akin to being in a toxic relationship or living situation. 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. 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. Supporters of a military Panelists discuss how the private and public sectors can partner to develop, scale, and utilize emerging technologies to mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change. Facebook alsostatedthat as part of its strategy, the Ministry of Information had been using "fake and duplicate accounts" for propaganda purposes. If we wait until the next elections in 2025 to change leaders, our country will no longer exist, he said. It set the stage for this takeover, said Mr. Salifu. Return of the military strongmen to West Africa, Why Burkina Faso's coup has prompted celebrations, Sudan protests: 'Did I just survive a massacre? Again, the In 2021, social media shutdownsalso took place in Burkina Faso, South Sudan, Senegal, Congo, Zambia, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Sudan. 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. In general, the lack of accountability that occurs under dictators and military juntas leads to greater corruption and less effective economic policy. There were four successful coups in Africa in 2021 there hadnt been that many in a single calendar year since 1999. In some cases, nations may have multiple ruling bodies or government types, meaning they're not 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. and. Renewing America, Timeline Hes also believed to have been well-paid by Gulf countries for the RSFs service in Yemen battling Iran-aligned rebels. Its an explosive cocktail. Denis Sassou Nguesso took power in 1997, and has remained the president of the Republic of Congo. Nolan Quinn. Five African Countries. Components such as an independent press, fair and transparent systems of taxation, and civic education and participation in governance take time to develop. WebCurrent dictatorships include Russia, Equatorial New Guinea, and North Korea. 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. 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. India had been an exception to the rule that capitalism comes before democracy. The dilemma remains that Africa is buffeted by immediate security challenges that will not wait for a democratic culture to develop. From 2015 to 2020, the United States provided over $4.8 billion in SFA to sub-Saharan Africa. [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. In March 2021, Magufuli diedhis death was attributed to heart disease but was likely brought on by COVID-19. 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. "We documented this last year for Togo and Rwanda, for example. Gunfire rings out. Its isolation deepened over the conflict in the western Darfur region in the 2000s, when Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed were accused of carrying out atrocities while suppressing a local rebellion. This publication is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy. Ghana is the most notable, positive exception in West Africa. The former Head of State says the continent cannot thrive politically, socially, and economically if Africans are subjected to despotism. 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.. The Presidents Malaria Initiative and Other U.S. Government The 25 Best Countries View All 29 Slides Sudans regional, economic and strategic importance Sudan is located at a critical nexus, geographically. Sub-Saharan Africa remains a region of stark political and socio-economic contrasts and many longstanding challenges. 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. While their president was imprisoned at a military base, hundreds of Malians celebrated with soldiers in the streets. with Ivan Kanapathy, Bonny Lin and Stephen S. Roach Paradoxically, the weakness of Burkina Fasos armed forces was a major factor in the coup. As governments across the continent become, with some exceptions, more authoritarian, Africans will be increasingly alienated from those claiming to represent them. One person holds all of the country's power. 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. by CFR.org Editors Meanwhile, the sheer number of would-be mediators including the U.S., the U.N., the European Union, Egypt, Gulf countries, the African Union and the eight-nation eastern Africa bloc known as IGAD could render any peace efforts more complicated than the war itself. WebList of Every Communist Country in the World as of 2021: China. The situation could have been even more 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. But in Sudan, as in other resource-rich African nations, armed groups have long enriched themselves through the shadowy trade in rare minerals and other natural resources. 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". A citizen casts her ballot during parliamentary elections in April 2021 in Praia, Cape Verde. It has been endowed in perpetuity through a gift from CFR members Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener. Nonetheless, the index provides an objective standard and vocabulary with which to assess and compare personal freedoms across Africa. During the presidents weekslong public absence prior, at least one man was arrested for questioning his health. Vietnam. 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. Thus in total, almost 440 Ugandan social media accounts close to the Ugandan government have beenblocked by social media networks in the East African country to date. His wealth is estimated to be approximately $600 million. While a large number of countries have That, along with the war in Ukraine and global inflation, sent the economy into free-fall. The Guardian view on India at a crossroads: development, not Democracy in decline in Africa? Not so fast - ISS Africa Presidential term limits, where in place, have been frequently circumvented through so-called constitutional coups. 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. An autocracy, monarchy, and dictatorship. when approximately half of the Robyn Dixon. 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. An unusual coup unfolded in Chad in April 2021. Things Fall Apart: Dictatorships, Development, and However, Chinas model of developmental authoritarianism remains attractive to those who see democracy as an impediment to development. Chad and South Sudan look most immediately at risk of potential spillover. Therefore, the entire country operates on the whims of that one person. Six Coups. Dictators This is understandable, as the terms are very similar. Ghanas President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Friday, It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West-Africa.. Return to text. 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. In the last six years alone, at least 26 African countries have experienced transfers of power. Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Annual Lecture, Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: Religion and Technology, Virtual Event There are currently 22 dictators in Africa, some worse than others. 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. Military Dictatorship: Definition and Examples 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. by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert Examples can be found across Africa: from Guinea to Somalia to South Africa, democracy ratings slid amid the COVID-19 crisis. Why Now? 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. To combat the trend, the United States and other partners should commit to the painstaking work of bolstering democratic institutions. 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. 8. 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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. November 4, 2022 The West Is Sending Light Tanks to Ukraine. African Dictators Have Been Losing PowerSome to Democratic In others, it is because they have political projects they wish to complete that take longer than expected. The Communist Party of China is the founding and sole governing political party of the People's Republic of China. Heavy gunfire was heard in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as fighting raged between rival forces for the sixth day despite a truce agreement. 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. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive 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. Dictators In Africa NMN Africa 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. Other U.S. assistance programs support judicial independence, a critical component of functional democracy that is lacking in much of Africa. 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. 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 with Alice C. Hill, Carmichael S. Roberts Jr. and Jennifer Wilcox Over the past decade, the Fed kept interest rates low while it deployed trillions of dollars in stimulus and expanded its regulatory oversight. This is thanks to an oil boom that enriched his family at the expense of the Equatorial Guinea citizens.