The oppressive regime of Yoweri Museveni in Uganda – now in his 36th year in power – always finds an excuse to give its crimes a facade of legitimacy, labeling its victims as ‘rioters,’ ‘rebels,’ or ‘tribalists.’ The regime’s international donors have ignored this pandemic of violence and gaslighting for too long — there must finally be consequences.

The crisis in Southern Cameroons has received considerable attention due to the persistence and organizing power of citizens, as well as among political elites. At the same time, however, solutions to ending the deadly conflict have been equally hard to achieve because of multiplying divisions and internal fights. Ultimately, something has to give.

In this week’s guest post, activist Joaquín Elo Ayeto writes on the tragic state of affairs in Equatorial Guinea, home to the longest-ruling dictatorship in Africa. For over four decades, the Obiang regime has ruled with ruthless repression, impoverishing citizens while brazenly enriching themselves. This article is published in collaboration with the OCA Coalition, a group dedicated to exposing and fighting kleptocracy in Central Africa.

The main opposition leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hon. Martin Fayulu, writes on the nine-year anniversary of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement. Little progress has been achieved since 2013, and in many ways, the situation in the country — and the wider region — has deteriorated. Nevertheless, the Congolese people have demonstrated resilience and there is hope moving forward.

In this guest post, Angolan journalist Goncalves Vieira writes that this week’s EU-AU Summit (Feb. 17-18) must urgently address the root causes of social problems in Angola — and elsewhere across Africa — which includes large-scale government corruption and the enriching of political elites at the expense of citizen populations.

This week's Africa Watch spotlights the ongoing insecurity and failed leadership evident in Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the related killings of civilians and peaceful demonstrators. Congolese researcher and activist Steward Muhindo outlines the dire situation and the need for immediate reforms.

In Zimbabwe, it is currently estimated that $7 billion is illegally held in foreign bank accounts. Asset recovery is thus urgently needed, and essential, to create the foundations necessary for sustainable and democratic development. In this week’s Africa Watch post, Zimbabwean academic Dr. Prosper Maguchu explores these linkages, as well as the necessary role that domestic civil society can play in this important process.

In this week’s guest post, Gambian academic Dr. Satang Nabaneh explains why the upcoming Gambian election — taking place on December 4 — is a milestone event for the country’s democratic transition and for widespread citizen hopes of a clean, substantive break from the country’s authoritarian past.

In this guest blog, Zimbabwean journalist Pearl Matibe makes the case that leaders from the African diaspora must stand united to be heard in their home countries, as well as on the African continent, to finally bridge the widening gap between the supply and demands for democratic leadership.

In this week’s guest post, a Rwandan author takes stock of the rising, increasingly brazen repression happening inside Rwanda and the effects it is having in both the international and domestic spheres.

In this week’s guest post, authors Mohamed Abdi and Mumin Hussein argue that Somalia sits at a truly historic juncture after domestic successes on tackling corruption and reducing political infighting. However, the country needs more support from its regional and international partners to help secure the peace and consolidate a fragile democracy.

Our director Jeffrey Smith reflects on the deadly pro-democracy demonstrations that are gripping Africa’s last absolute monarchy. In sum: the greatest threat to an ultimately peaceful and democratic solution to the impasse in eSwatini is the refusal of King Msawti III to countenance political reform and to engage in genuinely inclusive talks.

Given President Hichilema’s momentous victory in Zambia, pundits should deeply examine this country in which the rules of democracy have consistently prevailed, despite the myriad obstacles placed in its way over the years, writes Vanguard Africa advisory council member Dolika Banda. We must also capitalize on this moment to build a broader movement for democracy and ethical leadership across the region.

In this special edition of Africa Watch, Raed Jarrar — advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) — unveils a new initiative, the “Lobbyist Hall of Shame,” which will expose and seek to hold accountable the lobbyists on the payrolls of the world’s most oppressive regimes. The focus begins with Ed Newberry, from Squire Patton Boggs, a lobby firm that has worked for dictatorial regimes across the world, including Cameroon and Saudi Arabia.

With the August 12 election exactly one week away, our founding director Jeffrey Smith writes that alarm bells should be ringing well beyond the boundaries of this southern African nation.

Many in Tanzania, and around the world, were hopeful that President Samia Suluhu Hassan would usher in a new era of democratic reform and human freedom in a country that desperately longed for it. That optimism was quickly quashed when the political opposition was ruthlessly targeted. Acclaimed human rights lawyer, Fatma Karume, writes on how this all unfolded and what might come next for her country.

Failure to hold a free, fair and credible vote in Zambia — during its upcoming election on 12 August — may very well fuel further instability in the southern Africa region where democracy is already under sustained attack, writes former First Lady Charlotte Scott in this week’s guest post.

In this guest post, scholars Anotida Chikumbu and David Chikwaza argue that the foundation for a free and fair election exists in Zimbabwe, including a sound legal framework. It’s now an urgent matter of reforming Zimbabweans’ electoral practices that will secure a future free from repression ahead of the next election scheduled for 2023.

In Africa, the recent erosion of term limits does not happen in isolation, but is instead part of a pattern to weaken democratic checks and balances and evade the rule of law. In this week’s Africa Watch post, guest writer Joe Siegle, from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, sheds light on this issue and its broader international ramifications.

In Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh is going to extreme lengths to secure a life presidency. His 22-year rule has been marked by endemic corruption, human rights abuses and thoroughly rigged elections, most recently in April 2021. In this guest post, Daher Ahmed Farah writes about this “emergency situation” that demands attention, and requisite action, from Djibouti’s friends and partners, including in Washington.