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.

Vanguard Africa and the Human Rights Foundation have sent a joint letter to multi-platinum selling artist, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Akon, requesting that he clarify his business relationship with the dictatorship of Uganda.

The humanitarian catastrophe in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique is shocking. Major international agencies estimate that the conflict has conservatively displaced more than 700,000 people. What is more, at least 1300 civilians have so far been killed in the violence. How did we get to this point, and what must be done to stem the tide? Mozambican researcher Tomas Queface sheds some much-needed light and context on the unfolding situation.

Zambia’s Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Law — pass in parliament this week — is an assault on basic freedoms and democracy. Furthermore, it’s indicative of the insecurities that prevail among the country’s ruling elite. Activist Fumba Chama writes that this law is wholly incompatible with human freedom and must be rejected.

Vanguard Africa joins a host of international civil society groups in an open letter to all Commonwealth Heads of Government to demand an independent investigation into the death of Kizito Mihigo, one among many critics of President Paul Kagame who have died under exceedingly suspect circumstances in recent years.

In this guest Africa Watch post, activist Maria Tsehai argues that Tanzanians are living in a “world gone mad,” one in which Tanzania’s elected officials, led by President John Magufuli, are steering the country toward pandemic disaster.

On Thursday, February 4, MTV announced that it had decided to “postpone” their upcoming music awards showcase in Uganda. While this move is certainly a welcome one, Uganda should not play host to any sort of celebration or awards show until the Museveni dictatorship duly reforms and human rights are finally respected.

The West African nation of Benin was long lauded as a beacon of democracy. Over the past few years, however, there has been a sustained assault on the political opposition and human rights more broadly. It’s time to take a stand, writes former high-ranking Beninese diplomat, Rogatien Biaou.