The State of Democracy: Relentless Democratic Backsliding in Central Africa

By Rudy Howard Massamba

The resource-rich region of Central Africa has historically been home to some of the most enduring authoritarian regimes on the African continent. For example, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Paul Biya of Cameroon and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) are currently the three longest-serving African heads of state, with 45, 42 and 38 years in power respectively. Unsurprisingly, there were no hints of a democratic opening in any of these countries in 2024.

Civic space is shrinking in the Central African Republic (CAR), where a constitutional referendum abolished presidential term limits and strengthened President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s grip on power. Chad's transition to civilian rule has raised skepticism. The military junta staged a referendum in December 2023, paving the way for its leader General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno to run in the presidential election he won decisively this year in May. Meanwhile, in Gabon, more than a year since the end of the five-decade-long Bongo dynasty, citizens are growing impatient with the slow pace of reforms promised by the transitional president, who hastily ordered the payment of several months of overdue salary arrears for civil servants ahead of the 16 November constitutional referendum that cleared the path for a return to civilian rule in 2025. Cameroonians are preparing for the 2025 presidential election in a tense climate, with President Paul Biya expected to seek an eighth term. In neighboring Equatorial Guinea, restrictions on freedom of assembly, coupled with the intimidation of civil society leaders, particularly human rights activists, continued in 2024.

The start of the new year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) coincided with the second inauguration of President Félix Tshisekedi, reelected in December 2023 with more than 70% of the vote in another contentious election. Unlike his first term, he kicked off his new mandate with a comfortable parliamentary majority. However, his consolidation of power has not been without blemishes, with the regime targeting journalists, civil society activists and political opponents throughout the year. All these examples highlight a pattern of weakening democratic norms in Central Africa.

This is an excerpt from our State of Democracy in Africa 2024 Report. Read the Central Africa chapter here.

Read the full report here.