The imperative of reversing Africa's democratic drift

LeMonde

3 days ago

Across the globe, democratic regimes and values have come under attack on a scale not seen since 1945. This global trend should not distract from the particularly troubling situation in many French-speaking African countries, where progress made since the 1990s toward allowing populations to freely elect their leaders has been reversed. This shift is marked by the silencing of opposition and brutal repression. In the Sahel region, it is also characterized by an information blackout following the banning of independent and foreign media outlets.
Mali and Burkina Faso were once seen as beacons of democratic hope, but the military juntas that seized power in these countries in 2020 and 2022, respectively, no longer even mention the prospect of elections. In May, all political parties in Mali were dissolved, and General Assimi Goïta began monitoring, abducting and imprisoning his critics. On Friday, August 1, Goïta jailed former prime minister Moussa Mara after Mara posted a message on social media calling for resistance. In Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré is forcibly sending opponents to the anti-jihadist front lines.
In Niger, the military, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, has held their primary opponent, former president Mohamed Bazoum and his wife, in secret detention for two years. The situation is no better in Guinea, where General Mamadi Doumbouya has carried out kidnappings targeting journalists, lawyers and political opponents. Nor is it better in Chad, where President Mahamat Idriss Déby imprisoned Succès Masra, his former prime minister and rival in the 2024 presidential election. The same grim pattern continues in Togo, where Faure Gnassingbé, the son of the late dictator Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled from 1967 to 2005, altered state institutions to remain in power. In Cameroon, 92-year-old Paul Biya is seeking an eighth term and has just banned his main challenger, Maurice Kamto, from running.
Unceasing waves of protest
The decline of democracy in Africa has many causes. Among them is France's ambiguous role as the former colonial power. France is still quick to endorse strongmen who are considered allies and to reduce democracy to merely holding elections, even when they are rigged. Yet, more than six decades after gaining independence, the rejection of democracy in the name of sovereignty is mainly rooted in internal realities. These include the proliferation of predatory states that are powerless against jihadist groups, as well as the rise of military autocracies that exploit resentment toward France. These coup leaders seek to consolidate their power by portraying democracy as a purely Western concept. Meanwhile, due to their obsession with militarization, they fail to meet even the most basic needs of their populations.
In this context, it is essential to recall that the aspiration to equality and the right to choose one's leaders is universal, as journalist Ousmane Ndiaye eloquently demonstrates in his newly published essay, L'Afrique contre la démocratie ("Africa Against Democracy," untranslated). This is evident in the democratic processes at play in precolonial Africa, today's ongoing protest movements and the notable exception of Senegal. Democracy is not exclusive to Westerners. Each African state must develop its own form of democracy. Western countries must also respect these choices.