As Jeffrey Smith, the founding director of Vanguard Africa, told me, "the more that the Museveni regime tries to muzzle its rightful critics, the more admired and respected they become, both in the country and outside its borders."
Uganda: Bobi Wine Threatens Museveni’s Three-Decade Rule (Deutsche Welle – May 1)
Jeffrey Smith, executive director of Vanguard Africa, told DW: "In the eyes of President Museveni and the security apparatus around him, I think they rightly view Bobi Wine as a threat to their power and legitimacy. He's resonating particularly with Uganda's majority youth population." Vanguard is a nonprofit organization that partners with African leaders and democracy activists to consolidate democratic gains and advocate for free and fair elections in Africa.
Ugandan Police Place Bobi Wine Under House Arrest (Okay Africa - April 23)
Mozambique: Joint Statement by Civil Society Groups Calling for the Unconditional and Immediate Release of Radio Journalist (April 12, 2019)
Kenya’s Political Truce Holds, Shifting the Political Landscape (World Politics Review – April 4)
Absent amid all the maneuvering are any real efforts to move beyond the ethnic- and elite-driven political system that has long defined Kenyan politics. Jeffrey Smith, the executive director of the pro-democracy group Vanguard Africa, calls the developments “concerning” for Kenyan democracy and the ripple effects it sends around East Africa. “Once again, Kenya’s ruling class seem intent on prioritizing short-term political gain and self-interest over the long-term development of the country, and at the expense of Kenya’s democratic foundations,” he says.
Political Handlers with Trump Ties Take their Playbooks to Africa (New York Times – March 31)
Zimbabwe Government Defends Lobby Deal with U.S. Company (Voice of America – March 7)
The U.S. Could End Up Paying Dearly For Trump’s Disregard of Africa (Minnesota Post – March 4)
In 2013, three-quarters of Africans surveyed said democracy was the best form of government. Since then, the figure has slid. And democracy is struggling. In a story in Foreign Affairs, Nic Cheeseman and Jeffrey Smith cited a handful of troubling statistics: One measure of the level of democracy has decreased each of the last 14 years; just 40 percent of those in another survey said their last elections were free and fair.
Zimbabwe Drifts Towards Online Darkness (Coda Story – February 26)
“Shutting down the internet has become a go-to tactic. Robert Mugabe, who was rightly reviled for the human rights abuses, did not go so far as to order a blackout. The (new) government has shown zero political will to protect rights,” said Jeffrey Smith a founding director of Vanguard Africa, a foundation advocating for open democracy, with a special interest on Zimbabwe.
The Movement to Oust Togo’s Gnassingbe Dynasty Faces an Uncertain Year (World Politics Review - February 7)
Gnassingbe’s critics have been dismissive of these gestures. In a piece this week for Vanguard Africa, Wolali K. Ahlijah, a co-founder of the Faure Must Go campaign, suggested that Tsegan’s election was a cynical attempt by the government to get plaudits for “empowering women.” The released prisoners, meanwhile, should never have been detained in the first place, he said, and were “held hostage and used as a bargaining tool by the regime.”