Jeffrey Smith, executive director of Vanguard Africa, joins us to examine the aftermath of Uganda’s elections and the future of politics in Uganda, and more broadly across East Africa and other parts of the continent where democracy is severely undermined.

“All the murkiness – what's true, what isn't – is by design”, says Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of Vanguard Africa. “The internet shutdown, for example, is intended to create uncertainty, cause confusion and anxiety. The human abuses that do happen, that are happening can now be dismissed by the regime.”

“The Museveni regime saw what happened, or rather, what didn’t happen in Tanzania. There were zero consequences for electoral theft, violence and mass killings. Museveni and the regime around him, propping him up certainly took note of this. They know they have free rein to commit abuses with impunity.”

African affairs expert Jeffrey Smith, of the pro-democracy organization, Vanguard Africa, told RFI this outcome was expected. "I suspect we'll see an overwhelming reported victory for Museveni and a concerted government crackdown thereafter.”

Concerns were now focused on what comes next for the country, he added – pointing to Uganda’s young population and warning of deeper instability. "Uganda's crisis is much bigger than Uganda, and that's why it's a crisis that demands urgent, authoritative action from both local and global actors," he said.

"Meta is directly enabling state censorship in Tanzania, a time during which the country is facing well warranted, unprecedented scrutiny over a violent election fallout, including the deaths of potentially thousands of people," says Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of the pro-democracy non-profit organisation Vanguard Africa .

Washington’s warning carries weight. Tanzania receives over $3bn in US assistance annually, positioning it among America’s largest aid recipients in Africa.

Jeffrey Smith, executive director of Vanguard Africa and a leading voice on US policy in the region, says the moment demands clarity. “The billions the US provides Tanzania every year comes with responsibility. Washington must make clear that support is contingent on genuine democratic reforms and respect for human rights. Anything less is complicity in the regime’s gross abuses.”

Vanguard Africa joins the Platform for African Democrats in expressing deep concern over Cameroon’s October 12 election that included widespread irregularities, violence, and government manipulation of the results. Despite multiple opposition petitions and civil society evidence showing significant flaws and voter suppression, the long-standing incumbent Paul Biya was declared the winner amid escalating unrest, arrests, and disinformation. The statement urges respect for the Cameroonian people's will, calls for democratic reforms, and appeals to the international community to oppose further repression and support truth and justice.

Activists such as Jeffrey Smith of Washington lobbying firm Vanguard Africa argue that democratic backsliding in Africa harms the US long-term by eroding support for elections and emboldening would-be putschists who falsely claim to “reset” the system.

“This is a critical moment for Africa’s democratic trajectory, and it underscores the urgent need for solidarity, as well as genuine reforms that protect political freedoms, ensure independent electoral bodies and hold leaders accountable to the genuine will of the people,” Smith tells The Africa Report. “That the US State Department has been woefully silent thus far is only going to further embolden Biya and other autocrats across the region.”

The trend points to deeper structural problems with Africa’s underlying political environment, said Jeffrey Smith, executive director of democracy-focused Vanguard Africa nonprofit.

He said all three countries feature incumbents leveraging state resources to stay in power, partisan security forces as well as flawed legal processes.

“This is really symptomatic of competitive authoritarianism ... where elections are fundamentally imbalanced and skewed in favor of those already in power,” said Smith. “So the real issue is a lack of genuine political competition and accountability.”

Vanguard Africa joins international democracy advocates to urgently call for the immediate release and humane treatment of Tanzanian opposition leaders Tundu Lissu and John Heche, who have been detained under questionable circumstances. Together, we denounce the politically motivated charges, demand due process and transparency, and urge democratic institutions and global actors to hold Tanzania accountable for suppressing dissent and undermining free and fair elections.