Across sub-Saharan Africa, speaking freely about political matters or challenging those in power can lead to imprisonment—or worse. Over the past few decades, many governments have shifted toward authoritarianism, clamping down on free speech, silencing dissent, and undermining electoral processes to the point where genuine democracy is nearly impossible to practice.
democracy under siege
Out of 55 African nations, a dozen have become closed autocratic regimes, while 26 are classified as electoral autocracies by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute. This sharp decline in democratic governance is confirmed in the 2026 V-Dem report on the state of democracy worldwide.
“Democracy has regressed to 1978 levels for the average global citizen,” the institute notes, based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “The gains of the ‘third wave of democratization,’ which began in Portugal in 1974 with the Carnation Revolution and spread globally, have been almost entirely erased.”
The report highlights a troubling global trend: democracy in Western Europe and North America is now at its lowest point in over 50 years, largely driven by ongoing autocratization in the United States. Meanwhile, across Africa, the erosion of democratic progress—once hailed as a beacon of hope two decades ago—continues unabated.
In 2025 alone, freedom of expression declined in 44 countries, while torture remained a tool to suppress political opposition. A total of 33 nations experienced significant democratic backsliding, with three clear patterns emerging: a weakening of democracy in traditionally stable systems, the collapse of fledgling democracies, and the deepening of autocracy in already authoritarian states.
sub-saharan africa: a region drifting away from democracy
By the end of 2025, the world counted 92 autocracies—outnumbering democracies by five. A staggering 74% of the global population (6 billion people) now live under authoritarian rule, while only 7% (0.6 billion) reside in liberal democracies.
In sub-Saharan Africa, democratic standards have fallen back to levels not seen since the early 2000s. This reversal is driven by two key factors: the resurgence of military coups in the Sahel and the consolidation of autocratic rule in countries like the Central African Republic, Mozambique, and Togo.
Today, 66% of the region’s population lives under closed autocratic regimes. Electoral autocracies—such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda—are home to 48% of people, while 14% reside in fully closed regimes. Only 10% live in electoral democracies like Botswana and Ghana, and just 24% in “gray zone” democracies such as Kenya and Nigeria.
the top 10 closed authoritarian regimes in sub-saharan africa
1. Eritrea
In the mid-1990s, Eritrea experienced a brief period of openness, with independent newspapers emerging and critical voices—even within the ruling People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)—gaining ground. A transitional assembly had set an election date, a national electoral commission was being formed, and draft laws on political parties were under discussion. The country, fresh from a long war of independence against Ethiopia, appeared to be moving toward democratization.
But in September 2001, the government abruptly reversed course. As global attention focused on the September 11 attacks in the United States, authorities shut down all independent newspapers in a single day, silencing the country’s leading critical voices. Journalists were arrested and vanished without trace. Eleven members of the so-called G-15 group—including three former foreign ministers, a former army chief of staff, and several assembly members—were also arrested. No credible information about their fate has ever been released.
Since then, Eritrea has become one of Africa’s most closed and repressive regimes. Despite three decades under President Isaias Afwerki’s rule, no presidential election has ever been held.
2. Burkina Faso
Since seizing power in September 2022, Burkina Faso’s military leader has made no secret of his disdain for democracy. His regime has suspended numerous international media outlets and expelled foreign journalists. In October 2025, the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) was dissolved, followed by the banning of all political parties in February 2026.
In a televised address on April 2, 2026, Captain Traoré urged Burkinabè citizens to “forget about democracy” while political parties were being dismantled. “We’re not even talking about elections for now. People need to forget about democracy. Democracy is not for us,” he declared.
As the junta battles Islamist militants, critics and opponents face abductions, forced conscription into frontline military service, and other forms of repression.
3. Mali
On March 26, 1991, a popular uprising ended the dictatorship of General Moussa Traoré. A young army officer, Amadou Toumani Touré, took power with a pledge to steer the country toward democracy. After a transitional period, Mali held pluralistic elections that brought Alpha Oumar Konaré to the presidency, launching a democratic experiment that long served as a model in West Africa.
Three decades later, the country has returned to square one. Since 2020, military leaders—who came to power through two successive coups—have systematically dismantled democratic institutions. The civic and political space has shrunk dramatically. Political parties have been banned, civil society organizations heavily restricted, and political leaders jailed or forced into exile. Journalists and activists have faced arrest or fled the country. Initially promising a four-year transition, the junta has now abandoned any timeline for restoring constitutional order.
4. Niger
Like its neighbors in the Sahel, Niger has seen its democratic institutions erode. The country transitioned from a single-party state in the early 1990s to a multiparty system between 1991 and 1993. In the 2000s, civilian governments, including that of President Mahamadou Issoufou (elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016), governed the country.
However, the 2023 military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum marked a sharp return to authoritarian rule. The new junta banned political parties, indefinitely postponed elections and the transition to civilian rule, and tightened its grip on the political apparatus while stifling free speech.
5. south Sudan
South Sudan’s government has been dominated by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by President Salva Kiir, since the country gained independence in July 2011. The state apparatus is effectively controlled by the SPLM, leaving little room for democratic expression.
Since the outbreak of civil war in 2013, power has been bitterly contested between Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar. For the citizens of Africa’s newest nation, democracy remains an unknown concept.
6. Sudan
Sudan is ruled by a military regime led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sovereignty Council. For years, the country has been devastated by a destructive civil war pitting government forces against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a rival paramilitary group.
Human rights organizations have documented widespread massacres and grave violations of human rights by both sides, committed with near-total impunity.
7. Somalia
Since General Siad Barre’s 1969 coup, Somalis have never had the chance to freely elect their leaders. Barre abolished multiparty politics, suspended the constitution, and established an autocratic regime that plunged the country into civil war during the 1990s.
In recent years, Somalia has taken steps toward universal suffrage and multiparty elections in an attempt to break free from more than half a century of democratic silence.
8. Guinea
Despite presidential elections in December 2025 and May 2026, Guinea’s government has grown increasingly authoritarian. Leading opposition figures were barred from running, and General Mamady Doumbouya—who came to power in a 2021 coup—was declared winner with 86.72% of the vote.
Civil society groups have condemned the regime’s authoritarian drift, citing the suspension of several political parties, restrictions on protests, and sanctions imposed by the High Authority for Communication against media outlets critical of the government.
9. eswatini
Eswatini is Africa’s last absolute monarchy. King Mswati III holds all executive, legislative, and judicial power, controlling the police, army, and judiciary. Since a 1973 royal decree, political parties have been banned. The national assembly has just 69 members, 10 of whom are appointed directly by the king.
“Elections here are not about competition between political parties. They’re a system of royalist appointments. If you participate, you cannot defend your political ideas,” explained Alvit Dlamini, president of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress, the country’s oldest party, in 2018.
10. Guinea-bissau
Guinea-Bissau has long been plagued by political and institutional crises that have distanced it from democratic standards seen elsewhere in Africa. In November 2025, as the country conducted a closely contested presidential election and vote counting was underway, soldiers stormed the streets and overthrew the sitting president.
In an unusual move, the deposed president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, publicly announced to the international community that he had been toppled by the military. Since the coup, political opponents have faced restrictions, and concerns have grown over the protection of fundamental freedoms and the future of political pluralism in the country. Even before the constitutional breach, Embaló’s governance was widely criticized as authoritarian by opponents and civil society groups.
