(Being presentation made at the 2014 World Human Rights Declaration Anniversary organized by
Intersociety, supported by the G8 Rights Groups & Anambra state Rights/CSO
Activists Forum held at the Knights of St Mulumba Headquarters, Onitsha,
Nigeria, 21st December 2014)
“Why is it that when Europeans and North Americans (and Southeast Asians)
are busy finding their ways to the Moon, Africans are busy moving back to the
forest or cave?”- Dr. Julius Nyerere 1994.
We take dictatorship to
mean a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator
or a small clique in a government; with maximum suppression of civil liberties
and rule of law. Dictatorship is also commonly
associated with political sit-tight or long stay in
power through manipulative polls and limitless tenure elongation. By Tyranny, we
mean a State under cruel and oppressive government or a government that resorts
to unreasonable and arbitrary use of power or control against the citizenry
including the dissenting voices.
On the other hand, we
see Democracy as a form of government in which all
eligible citizens are allowed and empowered to participate equally either
directly or indirectly (through elected representatives) in the proposal,
development and establishment of the laws by which they are governed with such
laws providing for their maximum safety and welfare. Democracy is
commonly associated with numerous types including corrupted or
bastardized versions.
Representative and Liberal Democracies are
the most popularly accepted types in modern times. In Representative
Democracy, sovereignty is transferred by the citizens to the
elected representatives to be held in trust for them with periodic electoral
renewal. In Liberal Democracy, protection of individual
liberties and properties through rule of law is extensively entrenched(Democracy
& Good Governance Program of Intersociety 2014).
Political governance
styles have in
multi-centuries past undergone several modifications, adaptations and
adoptions. From the Hobbesian state of nature, where life
was short, nasty and brutish, which gave birth to modern art of government to communalism,
feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, to even Divine
Right of King, etc, instances are inexhaustible. In the not too
distance past centuries, the Divine-Right Theory of Kingship or
Divine Right of King held sway as dominant political governance
style in the communal, national and international politico-religious systems.
This Divine
Kingship theory asserts that a monarch or king is subject to no
earthly authority and his right to rule is directly derived from the will of
God. By this, the king is not subject to the will of his people, and as such;
does no wrong. It is further held that it is only God who can judge
an unjust King. Deposing him or restricting his powers was then
regarded as a sacrilege and homicidally punishable.
The infamous political
governance style above mentioned was later
swept away and became very unpopular and obsolete particularly in the 19th and
20th centuries. They were quickly replaced withdictatorship and free
democracy as two dominant forms of political governance styles in
the modern world of today.
Traditional or absolute
monarchic governance style was
repealed and replaced withconstitutional monarchy by way of
transferring the management of public affairs to the people through their
elected representatives and allowing monarchies to
exist ceremoniously. Monarchywas abolished in France
following the 1780s revolution that gave birth to the French
Declaration of the Right of Man & Citizen of 1789 and
establishment of parliamentary system of government.
While dictatorship has
its roots in military coups and revolutions and one-party rule; democracy is
rooted in Athenian democracy (direct democracy). Modern
democratic form is called indirect democracy (via elected
representatives). This was also popularized by the
British Bill of Rights of 1689(begat by the Magna Carta of 1215 AD(liberties
inviolate) or the Great Charter of Liberties of June 5, 1215), the US
Independence Declaration of July 1776 and the French Declaration of the Right
of Man & Citizen of 1789.
In Africa, a Continent
of over a billion people, occupying a land mass of about 10million square
kilometers; various scholarly studies have continued to show that dictatorship,
tyranny and their triggers are holding the Continent to ransom to
the extent that over half of its 53 member-States are under the clutches of dictatorship and tyranny.
Dictatorship and tyranny found their way
into the Continent immediately after the end of colonial rules on the
Continent. They were triggered off byneo-colonialism, one party rule,
self succession, attempts to eliminate ethnic and religious divisions and their
replacement with nationalism; inter member-States rivalries, cold war supremacy
struggles between the USA and the defunct USSR and their allies as well
as military takeovers.
To curb ethno-religious
divisions and conflicts, many newly independent African countries opted forone-
party rule and unicameral legislature and unitary governance
in addition to the recognition by then OAU of the 1884/5
Berlin Conference outcome that artificially partitioned African
boundaries and borders. The one-party rule later
developed into dictatorial and tyrannical governance styles that
have bedeviled the Continent till date. Despite bastardization of the
universally approved tenures of political office in electoral democracy, there
are two globally approved tenures of office whether in presidential,
parliamentary or monarchic democracies.
One is four
year tenure of two maximum terms (minimum of four years and maximum of eight
years). The other is five year tenure of office
renewable once (minimum of five years and maximum of ten years). Others
under these two such as five or six year single tenure is
also within the confines of international best practices. But
the rest outside these and under whatever guise are out-rightly reprehensible
and rejected and their practitioners or beneficiaries are dictators and
tyrants.
Consequences Of
Dictatorship & Tyranny In Africa: These are best captured by seven
fundamental threats to human security as developed by the United
Nations Development Program (Concept of Human Security 1994). These
are: environmental threats, economic threats, political threats,
food threats, health threats, personal insecurity and threats to community
(culture and values) security. They are also captured in absolute
(destitution) and extreme poverties as defined by the UN and the
World Bank in 1995 and 2005 respectively.
While absolute
poverty is defined as deprivation of the citizenry of basic human
needs, which commonly include food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter,
health-care and education; extreme poverty is taken to
mean an artificially created condition characterized by severe deprivation of
basic human needs including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities,
health, shelter, education and information. Those suffering from these are not
only denied access to reasonable income, but also access to social services.
According to the World Bank international poverty line of 2005, those
earning $1.25 or below it daily in addition to their deprivation of access to
social amenities are considered to be extremely poor.
Dictatorship and Tyranny in Africa have also brought and
institutionalized environmental pollution and degradation, militarization of
the Continent and proliferation of small arms, over 14 million refugees and
millions of internally displaced persons, escalation of intra State conflicts,
genocidal wars and perpetration of humanity crimes, insurgencies, mass poverty
and illiteracy, malnutrition, dearth of safe drinking water and health-care
facilities, spiral drop in direct foreign investments, huge debts and elevation
of dozens of member-States to the status of highly indebted poor
countries, chronic unemployment, prevalence of chronic and
terminal diseases like tuberculosis, aids and HIV, high infant and maternal
mortalities, gross under-development, ethno-religious divisions and violence,
political instability, promotion of politics of exclusion and primordialism,
bad governance impunity, corruption and squander-mania as well as favoritism
and nepotism in governance.
According to warsintheworld.com
(November 2014), out of a total of 64 ongoing world active intra State
conflicts involving 591 militia-guerrillas and separatist groups,
Africa has 27 of such bloody conflicts involving 167
militia-guerrillas, separatist and anarchic groups. African bloody
conflicts are divided into four major categories of ethno-religious
(i.e. Islamist militants uprising), civil war, popular uprising against
government and war against rebel groups. These have cumulatively
cost the Continent over 3million deaths and generated over 14million refugees
and millions of internally displaced persons since 1990 with the Great Lakes
region accounting for about 70%. There may most likely be over 60 million small
arms in wrong hands on the Continent presently. The British
Broadcasting Service (BBC) had in 2003 observed that one
out of every 20 Africans has unlawfully possessed gun or small arm.
The DRC (Congo
Brazzaville) has the highest number of active armed opposition groups in Africa
with 36, followed by South Sudan with 16. Libya and Mali have 15 each. Others
are Sudan 13, Somalia 12, Egypt 9, Ethiopia 8, Central African Republic 8,
Nigeria 6 (MEND, NDVF, Ombatse, Boko Haram, Ansaru & Fulani Jihadist
Terror Group), Eritrea 4, Algeria 4, Somaliland 3, Uganda 3, Mauritania
2, Angola 2, Kenya 2, Tunisia 1, Western Sahara 1, Rwanda 1, Senegal 1,
Puntland 1, Mozambique 1, Ivory Coast 1, Djibouti 1 and Chad 1. There are also
Islamist and tribal rebellions in Niger Republic, Cameroun and Burundi bringing
the total of African countries presently ravaged by armed conflicts to 29. In
the 80s and early 90s, 14 civil wars were waged in all the 14 regions of
Ethiopia simultaneously.
Serving Dictators &
Tyrants In Africa:
1. Angola-Dr. Jose
Eduardo Dos Santos, born 28th August 1942 (72 years). He has
remained in power since 21st September 1979 after the death of
former President Agostinho Neto. He has spent 35 years in power and is one of
the longest serving African presidents. He abolished the concept of direct
election of the president in 2010 and technically made himself a life president
by providing that “the leader of a party with most seats in the National
Assembly automatically becomes the President of Angola”. His MPLA party is the
sole largest party in Angola. His eldest daughter, Isabella Dos Santos is the
Africa’s richest woman and 8th richest person on the Continent
valued at $3.7Billion.
2. Equatorial
Guinea-Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasago, born 5th June 1942 (72
years). He became president after ousting his uncle (Francisco Macias Nguema)
in an August 1979 coup. He has spent 35 years in office having been head of
State since 3rd August 1979 and is the second longest serving
African president. Tenure of office is pegged at seven years without
limit. He was elected unopposed in December 2002 and won another
seven years in November 2009.
3. Zimbabwe-Robert
Mugabe, born 1924 (90 years). He was the executive prime minister from 18th April
1980 to 22nd December 1987 and president from 1987 till date.
He has spent 34 years in power and may most likely die in office.
4. Cameroun-Paul
Biya, born 13th February 1933 (81 years). He has been president
of Cameroun since 6th November 1982 after serving as prime
minister from 1975 to 1982. In 2008, he changed his country’s constitution to
provide for limitless term of seven years and in October 2011; he won another
seven year term and will complete his current tenure in 2018 at the age of 85
years. He has already spent 32 years in power.
5. Congo
Libreville-Denis Sassou Nguesso (71 years). He was military head of State from
8thFebruary 1979 to 31st August 1992. He staged
another rebellious come back on 25th October 1997 following
June-October 1997 civil war and has remained in power since then. He enjoys
seven year limitless term and has won polls in 2002 and
2009. He has spent a total of 30 years in power.
6. Uganda-Yoweri
Museveni, born 15th August 1944 (70 years). He has been in
power since 29th January 1986, after his NRA rebels toppled the
military government of Tito and Basilio Okello. In a 2005 referendum, he
scrapped multi party system and limited tenure of office. He enjoys five year
limitless tenure and won February 2011 presidential
poll. He has spent 28 years in power and is sixth longest serving
president in Africa. President Museveni has also mounted stiff opposition
against the works of the International Criminal Court,
accusing it of unfairness to Africa.
7. Swaziland-King
Makhosetive Dlamini Mswat 111. He is the Africa’s remaining absolute monarch
and was enthroned on 25th April 1986 (28 years). Popular polls
are totally limited in his Kingdom and he appoints his prime minister at his
own will. He has spent 28 years in power.
8. Sudan- Omar
Hassan al-Bashir (70 years): He has been the military head of State since 30th June
1989. He enjoys five years limitless tenure and won last
election in 2010. He has spent 25 years in power and was indicted by the ICC in
March 2009 for his butchery roles in Darfur violence.
9. Chad-Idriss Deby. He
has been in power since 2nd December 1990 and has contested andwon elections
in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 with five year limitless tenure. He has spent 24
years in power.
10. Eritrea-Isaias
Afwerki. He has been in power since June 8, 1993 following his EPLF rebel’s
victory over Ethiopia in a 30-year civil violence. He enjoys five year
limitless term and has kept postponing national polls for years. He has spent
21 years in power.
11. Gambia-Yahya
Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (49 years). He has been in power since 22nd July
1994. He enjoys five year limitless term and has won polls
in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011. He is officially addressed as “His Excellency
Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Babili
Mansa”. He was recently named “the West African King of Impunity” by
the Media Foundation for West Africa based in Gambia for his atrocious human
rights records. He has spent 20 years in power.
12. Rwanda-Paul
Kagame. He was the vice-president & commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
of Rwanda from July 1994 to March 24, 2000 and has served as president till
date. He enjoys seven year limitless term and won August
2010 polls. He has spent 20 years in power.
13. Algeria-
Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He came to power on 27th April 1999 and won polls
in 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. He enjoys five year limitless term and has spent
15 years in power. He made a narrow escape during the 2011 revolutionary
protests.
14. Djibouti-Ismail
Omar Guelleh(67 years). He succeeded his uncle (Hassan Gouled Aptidon) on 8th May
1999 who was in power since independence in 1977. President Guelleh
enjoys six year limitless term and has won polls in
April 1999, 2005 and 2011. He contested alone in 2005 andwon. He
has spent 15 years in power.
15. Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC)-Joseph Kabila Kanbanye (43 years). He assumed office on
17th January 2001 ten days after the assassination of his
father (Laurent Dasire Kabila). He enjoys five year limitless term and was
first elected in 2006 and re-won in
2011. He has spent 13 years in power.
Emerging African Dictators
& Tyrants:
16.Togo-Faure Gnassimgbe
Eyadema (48 years). He came to power following his father’s death in office in
2005. He won polls in April 2005 and re-won in
April 2010. He enjoys five year term renewable more than twice. He has been in
power for 10 years. His father was in office from 14th April
1967 to 5th February 2005 (38 years). In late November 2014,
mass protests erupted in the country against his attempts to change the
constitution to allow him run for the 2015 presidency for a third time.
17. Burundi-Pierre
Nkurunziza (51 years). He was a rebel (CNDD-FDD) leader and came to power on 26th August
2005. He was the only candidate in the June 2010 presidential poll, which he won.
His government has announced he would contest the 2015 polls in deviance of the
existing constitutional limit of two terms of five years. A bill is before the
Burundian parliament for the altering of same to allow him run. He has been in
power for 9 years. Over 300,000 people perished in the country’s civil war
between 1993 and 2005 following promotion of politics of
dictatorship and tribal cleansing.
18.Mauritania-Mohammed
Ould Abdel Aziz. He participated in August 2005 coup that ousted President
Maouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya and led another coup in August 2008. He stood for
April 2009 presidential poll and won. He re-contested
in the June 2014 poll, boycotted by most leading opposition candidates and won another
five year term.
African Dictators &
Tyrants Who Died In Office/Ousted Recently:
19. Libya-Moummar
Gaddafi. He ruled Libya from 1st September 1969 to 23rd August
2011 (42 years). He was dethroned by a coalition of revolutionary forces
following his endless dictatorial and tyrannical rule premised on limitless
term of office. He aided and masterminded many military coups and civil
conflicts in Africa. He was killed in office in 2011.
20. Egypt-Hosni
Mubarak (86 years). He was appointed vice president of Egypt from 1975 to 1981
and served as president from 14th October 1981 to 11th February
2011 (30 years). He became dictatorial and tyrannical leading to his ouster by
people’s revolution in February 2011.
21. Gabon-Omar
Bongo. He was president of Gabon from 2nd December 1967 to 8th June
2009 (41 years). He died in office in June 2009 and after his death, his eldest
son-Ali Bongo Ondimba took over following the August 2009 Poll,
which he won for a five year term. His father ruled
with limitless office term of seven years.
22.Togo-Gnassingbe
Eyadema. He ruled Togo from 14th April 1967 to 5th February
2005 (38 years). He died in office in 2005 and his son-Faure took over winning April
2005 and 2010 polls with five year term.
23.Tunisia-Zine
al-Abidine Ben Ali. He ruled Tunisia from 7th November 1987 to
14th January 2011 (24 years). He was deposed by Jasmine
Revolution in January 2011 following his attempt to continue to
rule limitlessly. He fled to Saudi Arabia and was convicted and jailed for life
in absentia in 2012 for killing of protesters in 2010/2011.
24. Burkina
Faso-Blaise Campore. He ruled Burkina Faso from 15th October
1987 when he killed his closest ally and then head of State-Captain Thomas
Sankara to 31st October 2014 (27 years) when he was deposed by
a military coup following a nationwide protest. The protest followed his
attempt to further manipulate the constitution to allow him stand for limitless
term of office.
25. Ethiopia-Meles
Zenawi. He ruled Ethiopia from 21st May 1991 to 20th August
2012 (21 years). He served as post civil war president/prime minister of
Ethiopia and changed the constitution to allow him rule limitlessly. He died in
office in 2012.
26. Senegal-Abdoulaye
Wade (88 years). He was in the opposition from 1978 during which he contested
for the presidency of Senegal four times and lost, to year 2000 when he was elected
president at the age of 74. He got into office and sealed his term to seven
years without limit. In 2012, he stood in for another term at the age of 86 and
was beaten in a second round by Macky Sall, who also reduced presidential term
to five years. Before his electoral defeat, he had governed for 12 years and
groomed his eldest son to succeed him by making him a minister in-charge of
four key ministries joined together.
27.Guinea-Lansana Conte.
He ruled Guinea from 3rd April 1984 to 22nd December
2008 (24 years). He died in office in 2008. In 2010, Alpha Conte became the
first freely elected president since independence in 1958.
28. Niger
Republic-Mamadou Tandja. He ruled Niger from 1999 to 2010 (11 years) before he
was deposed by a military coup in 2010 following his attempt to force a
referendum on Nigeriens to allow him rule limitlessly.
29. Ivory
Coast-Laurent Gbagbo. He ruled Ivory Coast from 26th October
2000 to 11th April 2011 (11 years). He arbitrarily annulled
2010 presidential poll results in seven key departments in the northern part of
the country, which were the strongholds of his main challenger. This was after
he postponed the polls originally slated for 2005. These triggered off
rebellion by loyalists of President Alassane Quattara leading to his ouster and
arrest in April 2011. He was indicted by the ICC and
later extradited to The Hague in 2011 and is presently standing trial for
crimes against humanity.
30. Central African
Republic-Francios Bozize. He ruled the Central African Republic from 15thMarch
2003 to 24th March 2013(10 years). He overthrew the civilian
government of Ange-Felix Patasse on 15th March 2003 through a
rebellion he launched in 2001. He won the March/May
2005 polls and was re-elected in January 2011 polls. On
24th March 2013, he fled to Cameroun via DRC after the seleka
rebels dominated by Muslims overran the presidential palace
following his attempt to rule limitlessly.
Summary: From the foregoing statistics, it is
fundamentally obvious that over 60% of African Continent’s member-States are
presently under the clutches of dictatorship and tyranny. It has also been
indisputably established that over 70% of the African States are politically
unstable. All the genocidal, civil, military and political conflicts that have
ravaged Africa in recent times are triggered off by dictatorship and tyranny.
The problems facing the Continent are hugely man-made and
flow from top-down politico-social vices and
mis-governance. They are pollutant viruses afflicting
Africa and Africans.
Despite debt relief of
over $100Billion delivered to the Continent since year 2000 including writing
off of $40Billion owed by 18 heavily indebted poor countries by
the G8 in 2005 and a total sum of $568Billion delivered
in aides to the Continent by developed world since 1985, the Continent still
owes more than $500Billion in external debts as at 2014; from $412, 84Billion
it owed in 2011 (source: African Economic Outlook 2014). The sub Saharan Africa
alone is reported to have raised foreign bonds amounting to $20Billion in 2014
alone.
In defense or military
hardware spending, the Continent spends more than $150Billion presently per
annum with Algeria and Angola topping the list with $10Billion and $6Billion
respectively. In 2011, according to the African Economist.Com, Africa
spent a total of $113.20 billion on military hardware. These huge debts and
military spending are majorly for the sustenance of Africa’s dictatorial and
tyrannical regimes and containment of internal insurrections arising from
protests over their perpetuation and attendant social vices.
The hitherto ambitious
annual target of $65Billion direct foreign investments
into the Continent as well as the Peer Review mechanism
designed by AU for the socio-economic transformation of the
Continent have failed woefully owing to dictatorship and tyranny. Efforts by the
ICC to stamp out impunity and atrocity crimes and criminals (political
governance rights abuses & abusers) on African Continent have
steadily been frustrated owing to prevalence of dictatorial and
tyrannical regimes on the Continent.
Recommendations: There is need for proper and intellectual
articulation of agitations for regime change in Africa
particularly as it concerns revolutionary efforts at dethroning the dictators
and tyrants bent on holding the Continent to ransom in perpetuity. The revolutionary
regime changesthat took place in countries like Libya, Burkina Faso,
Egypt, etc were not intellectually articulated. They are nothing but mob
and renegade regime changes.
A revolutionary regime
change that aims to oust a dictatorial/tyrannical regime without proper
transition of power to the newly elected representatives made up of civilians
in a short run is worse than the targeted dictatorial regime. While Libya and
Egypt have remained in political turmoil and instability as a result of the
forgoing, it has also provided an opportunity for military juntas to stage a
political come back into the politics of Burkina Faso, which has been governed
by modified military regime since 1980s.
On the other hand,
countries like Niger Republic, Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal,
Madagascar, Guinea and Guinea Bissau are places where intellectually
articulated regime changes have taken place owing to holding of
successful and free elections in 2010 (Niger), 2010 (Guinea), 2011(Ivory
Coast), 2012 (Senegal), 2013 (Mali), 2013(Madagascar) and Guinea Bissau (2014).
These countries were recently ravaged by insurrections, military takeovers and
dictatorships. Credible and popular regime change is that premised on peace
building, free polls, democratic power rotation and limited tenure of office.
Our second
recommendation is the need for proactive and collaborative efforts by the
African Civil Society groups and the media to declare voice and pen
war against dictatorship and tyranny on the Continent in the
context of regional and international awareness campaigns.
The war should be properly articulated and fought
ceaselessly until all dictators and tyrants are dethroned. Consistent and
proactive pressures should be directed at African regional and sub regional
bodies as well as the United Nations and development partners to reject and
isolate dictators and tyrants in Africa.
Our third recommendation
is a call for the review of relevant regional and sub-regional charters and
treaties to incorporate prohibition and criminalization of sit-tight,
self succession and tenure elongation (office abuse crimes) premised
on dictatorship and tyranny in Africa. There is need to review the
AU’s Constitutive Act, ECOWAS Charter, SADC Charter and their
likes in Central African, East African and North African sub-regions for the
purpose of ending dictatorship and tyranny in Africa. The instruments creating
judicial bodies like African Court of Justice/Human Rights and ECOWAS
Community Court, etc should also be revisited and expanded.
It is our belief that
unless credible and effective benchmarks are put in
place to fight dictatorship and tyranny, otherwise Africa will continue to
wallow in intractable politico-social vices. The Continent must borrow a leave
from the European Union that set strict criteria for intending members
including free democratic, good governance, human rights and budgetary
performance indexes.
African leaders who have
exceeded maximum of eight or ten years in office other than ceremonial or
parliamentary monarchs should be forced to relinquish powers or be expelled
from participating in regional or sub-regional forums meant for African Heads
of State and Government. They should also be arrested, prosecuted and jailed
for office (tenure) abuse crimes. A code-ban should
also be put in place banning their sons, daughters, wives, brothers, cousins,
in-laws and other relatives from succeeding them particularly when they die in
office.
The AU and other African
sub-regional bodies like ECOWAS and SADC should also block such regime
tenure abusers from participating in all UN related functions
including the General Assembly meetings and proceedings. This can be done by
way of written recommendations to the United Nations.
Lastly, respected and
democratically stable African countries like South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania,
etc are urged to empower their judicial bodies with trans-border or
regional jurisdictions to pave way for indictment of such
dictatorial and tyrannical leaders over office tenure abuse and
political crimes as well as crimes against humanity.
International arrest
warrants should be issued against them as well as prosecuting them in person or
in absentia within best international practices. Where it is possible for other
African countries to dethrone them for strict purpose of enthroning free
democracy, free speech, credible regime change and peace building, they
should be dethroned.
Thank You
Prepared & Presented
By:
Emeka Umeagbalasi
(Criminologist & Graduate of Security Studies, M.SC Candidate in Peace
Studies & Conflict Resolution & Alumnus of IVLP of the US State Dept,
class of June 2013), +2348174090052,
+2348100755939 (office only)
emekaumeagbalasi@yahoo.co.uk,
info@intersociety-ng.org
Board Chairman,
International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law
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