From Uganda to Cameroon, how Africa’s ‘leaders for life’ stay in power

The location of each Ugandan president, State House, is nestled successful the hilly uptown Nasakero country of the superior city, Kampala.

For 4 decades, it has been location to conscionable 1 president – Yoweri Museveni, who has been successful bureau longer than immoderate different Ugandan leader.

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Following Thursday’s election, Museveni’s choky clasp connected the state has been extended for the seventh time. Although helium faced his biggest challenger successful the signifier of fashionable absorption campaigner and instrumentalist Robert “Bobi Wine” Kyagulanyi, the country’s electoral committee declared that Museveni had won with 72 percent of the vote.

At 81, Museveni is the third-longest serving president successful the world.

His power implicit Uganda, analysts say, is absolute, and the assignment of his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, arsenic service main backmost successful 2024 has prompted worries among activists of a dynastic succession program successful the adjacent future.

In a young state wherever astir 70 percent of the 46 cardinal colonisation is nether 35, Museveni is the lone president astir Ugandans person ever known. By the clip helium completes his latest word successful 2031, helium volition person served for 45 years.

However, helium is not alone. Across Africa, from hilly Kampala to riverside Brazzaville, respective “life-long” leaders similar him person held onto powerfulness for decades, contempt organising regular elections that springiness their administrations the semblance of antiauthoritarian rule.

Political experts studying these figures accidental astatine slightest 3 of them: Museveni of Uganda, Paul Biya of Cameroon, and Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, person perfected unsocial formulas that assistance them consolidate power, utilizing tools similar compromised elections, disagreement and regularisation tactics, and almighty overseas alliances.

Al Jazeera reached retired to the 3 governments for comments, but did not get a response.

In a representation taken connected January 29, 1986, successful Kampala, past National Resistance Army (NRA) person Yoweri Museveni, right, holds his archetypal furniture gathering aft being sworn successful arsenic president of Uganda [File: AFP]

In Uganda, warring corruption ‘with corruption’

For Museveni, unit is utilized arsenic a means to suppress dissent and support allies successful check, Kampala-based governmental expert Job Kiija told Al Jazeera.

The determination strongman was archetypal sworn successful arsenic president backmost successful 1986, aft helium led the rebel National Resistance Army to overturn an unpopular civilian medication successful a convulsive six-year struggle present known arsenic the Ugandan Bush War. He has remained president nether the rebranded National Resistance Movement.

Museveni’s ideas of enactment were apt shaped aboriginal on, arsenic a governmental subject pupil successful neighbouring Tanzania, researchers note. At the time, helium studied philosopher and anti-colonial theorist Frantz Fanon’s mentation of violence.

Violence, Fanon wrote successful his book, The Wretched of the Earth, was the highest signifier of governmental struggle, 1 indispensable for decolonisation. In his last twelvemonth thesis (PDF), Museveni focused connected that mentation and wholly supported the philosopher’s position.

Rather than use that reasoning to a assemblage force, however, Museveni has unleashed it connected absorption leaders, journalists, and activists successful Uganda, Kiija said.

In 2020, erstwhile Bobi Wine archetypal emerged connected the governmental country nether the umbrella of the National Unity Party, the absorption campaigner instantly garnered wide support, peculiarly from young people. Ugandan forces, however, responded forcefully to his rallies, sidesplitting galore Bobi Wine supporters.

The aforesaid scenarios played retired successful the lead-up to this month’s election. Security forces targeted absorption rallies with excessive unit and subjected absorption supporters to arbitrary arrests and torture, according to a study from rights radical Amnesty International.

Opposition figures are besides routinely jailed successful Uganda. Kizza Besigye, a Museveni state turned four-time statesmanlike candidate, has been imprisoned since November 2024 connected accusations of plotting to region Museveni. He faces a treason charge, which is punishable by decease successful the country.

Within his ain camp, Kiija said, Museveni deliberately allows his allies to overstep their boundaries, and past holds their actions implicit their heads to deter dissent.

“He allows radical astir him to dip their hands successful authorities coffers, truthful that they are soiled, and past helium uses that against them,” the expert said.

“Everyone astir him – helium has a portfolio connected them, helium knows however overmuch you person stolen, what you person amassed, and that’s 1 of the reasons we can’t combat corruption due to the fact that helium uses that arsenic a instrumentality to support radical successful check.”

Uganda has suffered governmental instability since its independency from Britain successful 1962. The British colonialists employed indirect regularisation and appointed members of the bulk Buganda people to important positions, portion excluding others. Post-colonial Uganda’s instability and anemic institutions are partially attributed to that history, experts say.

In 2005, the Ugandan parliament removed word limits from the constitution, paving the mode for Museveni to tally indefinitely.

Although affluent successful gold, oil, and currency crops similar coffee, the state is reliant connected Western aid. Museveni positions the state arsenic a stabilising unit successful the Great Lakes region, contributing troops to determination missions, specified arsenic successful the combat against the al-Shabab equipped radical successful Somalia, frankincense gaining Western support.

Uganda besides hosts 2 cardinal refugees from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Sudan – much than immoderate different African nation.

Among its biggest donors is the United States. Washington contributed astir $970m successful yearly improvement aid, chiefly for wellness and humanitarian needs, though US concerns implicit antiauthoritarian backsliding and Uganda’s criminalisation of same-sex relations strained ties. The existent Trump medication has, however, severely chopped assistance globally, affecting the country.

While Museveni was the wide favourite to triumph Thursday’s vote, Bobi Wine has dismissed the results arsenic “fake”. Meanwhile, eyes are present connected however Museveni’s eldest child, Kainerugaaba, volition beryllium positioned successful the adjacent future. The 51-year-old, Kiija said, is intelligibly being groomed for the apical job.

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya casts his ballot successful Yaounde, Cameroon, connected October 12, 2025, successful a statesmanlike predetermination that extended his regularisation for an eighth word [File: Angel Ngwe/AP]

Cameroon’s ‘absentee president’

Just months earlier Museveni soared to an casual victory, connected the other broadside of the continent, Biya, the 92-year-old president of Cameroon, won an eighth term successful bureau successful October’s statesmanlike polls.

Biya, who heads the governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC), has been successful powerfulness since 1982 and is the world’s oldest sitting president. The country’s parliament removed word limits successful 2008, and past year’s triumph gives him different 7 years astatine the helm.

The president is known for spending extended periods distant from the spotlight and adjacent abroad, earning him the nickname “absentee president”. There person been predominant speculations astir his health, with rumours of his death circulating connected societal media present and again, lone for the president to popular up concisely connected nationalist television.

Still, fewer Cameroonians, slightest of each person Kah Walla, were amazed erstwhile Biya won different term.

Walla, 60, who competed successful 3 past statesmanlike races, told Al Jazeera that the president uses the precise instrumentality indispensable to democracies: elections.

“We unrecorded successful an electoral autocracy wherever the dictator has figured retired however to usage elections arsenic 1 of the instruments to support himself successful power,” she said, adding that the electoral assemblage is fundamentally an hold of the government.

Manu Lekunze, a lecturer successful planetary relations astatine the University of Aberdeen successful Scotland, told Al Jazeera that Biya uses well-funded accusation campaigns to “divide-and-rule” betwixt Cameroon’s aggregate taste groups.

Biya’s run instrumentality often harps connected however absorption politicians volition correspond lone their taste groups, helium said. Biya himself enjoys enactment from his Beti tribe, the adjacent bulk Bamileke-Bamus, and the Fulanis by staying adjacent to accepted leaders.

“He believes helium is going to unrecorded for a agelong time,” Lekunze said. “[He] has an taste conjugation that volition enactment him regardless, and helium uses that to get the elemental bulk helium needs, which makes him truly comfy successful power.”

Like Museveni, Biya is besides accused of utilizing unit – but “selectively”, Walla noted. Some Cameroonians, she said, garbage to telephone their state a “dictatorship” due to the fact that there’s a semblance of freedom.

“Biya realised that you request to springiness radical a transmission to vent truthful the absorption won’t build,” Walla said.

“You tin spell connected TV and accidental thing astir the president, and thing mightiness happen, but idiosyncratic other mightiness accidental the aforesaid thing, oregon adjacent less, and beryllium punished [arrested] for it. So that has led radical to self-censor due to the fact that cipher knows wherever the enactment is.”

At slightest 48 people were killed by information forces during protests successful enactment of absorption campaigner Issa Tchiroma, who claimed Biya’s triumph successful October arsenic fraudulent, and declared himself the winner. The now-exiled Tchiroma abandoned Biya’s authorities to tally successful the elections and gained enactment from his Fulani group, arsenic good arsenic respective others.

In 2016, information forces besides notably cracked down connected the country’s number Anglophone regions – the Southwest and Northwest regions – aft teachers and lawyers determination took to the streets to decry the deficiency of opportunities for English-speakers. British and French colonial rule saw 2 chiseled entities merged aft independence, but the imbalance tilts successful favour of the bulk Francophone population.

The convulsive authorities effect escalated into an ongoing rebellion, with equipped groups warring for the secession of an autarkic state, Ambazonia.

Surrounding Biya is simply a choky elite that Lekunze says benefits from the presumption quo, including Ferdinand Ngoh-Ngoh, the country’s secretary-general and de facto president. However, Biya has ne'er identified oregon visibly groomed a successor.

There are fears that the deficiency of a single, known look to rally astir successful the lawsuit of Biya’s decease could origin governmental turmoil wrong his party, and likely, the country. Walla, though, believes that would beryllium helpful.

“Should helium walk away, we volition beryllium successful an highly uncertain position, but it is inactive successful our champion interests to instrumentality to the streets astatine that constituent due to the fact that if we don’t, the strategy volition perpetuate itself,” she said.

From left, Republic of the Congo’s First Lady Antoinette Sassou Nguesso and President Denis Sassou Nguesso basal beside US erstwhile First Daughter Ashley Biden, erstwhile First Lady Jill Biden, France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron, US President Donald Trump, and French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremonial astatine Notre-Dame Cathedral, successful Paris, connected December 7, 2024 [File: Ludovic Marin/AFP]

Power, petroleum, overseas backers successful Congo-Brazzaville

Despite protests successful the streets and unrest among absorption figures successful Cameroon and Uganda, the 2 pivotal statesmanlike elections ended with nary existent alteration successful leaderships that person been cemented implicit decades.

Meanwhile, different octogenarian is question yet different word nether akin conditions. In the Republic of the Congo, 81-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has held bureau for 40 years, is acceptable to tally again successful the March 2026 ballot nether his Congo Labour Party.

Nguesso was archetypal elected to bureau successful 1979 and led the state for 12 years earlier losing elections. On his 2nd effort successful 1997, helium seized powerfulness successful a bloody civilian war, and has remained successful bureau since. In 2015, Nguesso besides pushed done a arguable referendum that removed statesmanlike word limits.

Under him, Congo has remained grossly underdeveloped contempt its lipid wealth, with basal infrastructure lacking owed to corruption, said Andrea Ngombert, the exiled laminitis of Sassoufit, a radical advocating for Nguesso’s exit.

Powerful overseas alliances, Ngombert noted, person helped Nguesso consolidate powerfulness for decades arsenic helium keeps a unafraid clasp connected almighty entities, including done marriage.

His daughter, the precocious Edith Bongo, joined into the dynastic Bongo family, which ruled Gabon for decades until a subject coup successful 2023.

Nguesso was besides a beardown state of the precocious Angolan president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos. When helium returned to prehend power, a 1000 Angolan forces supported his “Ninja” militia and helped unafraid his victory.

The president likewise had backing from France, which provided him with arms during the warfare to support lipid investments successful Congo, Ngombert said.

“He is not conscionable operating connected a continental level, but connected an planetary one,” the activistic said.

“He has his chemoreceptor successful everyone’s business, and helium knows erstwhile to propulsion your secrets retired to power you. Everyone knows if you request things to work, you indispensable person Nguesso connected your side.”

Ngueso’s power successful Paris has, however, plummeted since 2013, aft unit from civilian nine yet forced France to motorboat investigations into his family’s galore assets successful Europe and the US. In 2022, French authorities seized spot belonging to his son, Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso.

In spot of France, observers accidental Nguesso has turned to China.

Beijing offers the authorities loans and overseas nonstop investment, and tin usage its veto powerfulness to shield Nguesso from imaginable scrutiny astatine the United Nations successful instrumentality for lucrative lipid deals, Ngombert said. Nguesso has besides defended China successful the look of reported rights violations successful Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and is against the designation of Taiwan arsenic a sovereign state.

“In this arrangement, China is the shark and Congo-Brazzaville the remora – an asymmetrical but symbiotic narration successful which 1 feeds disconnected the different and removes harmful parasites, portion the different provides extortion from different predators,” Ngombert added.

Are escaped elections astatine involvement successful Africa?

Across Africa, observers argue, the 3 leaders and respective others person utilized force, divisive tactics, and overseas backing to unafraid and support power.

Ironically, analysts say, they person besides perfected utilizing elections – meant to beryllium an indispensable antiauthoritarian instrumentality – to disenfranchise citizens.

“Elections person go a ritual, a mode of conscionable ticking the container for these leaders, but they are not held meaningfully for citizens who privation to beryllium capable to explicit their feelings with votes,” Tendai Mbanje, an elections adept astatine South Africa’s University of Pretoria, told Al Jazeera.

“Electoral institutions person been captured and person deviated from their mandate, and the radical starring them person nary integrity, arsenic astir are governmental appointees,” helium added.

Yet, contempt this bleak outlook, African countries don’t person the luxury to discard elections: citizens cannot spend to halt voting oregon requesting just electoral conditions, helium warned.

“We should not wantonness elections due to the fact that they stay the lone morganatic mode for citizens to authorities their choice,” Mbanje said.

“What radical request to bash is to defy – done protests, done ineligible mobilisation. Opposition leaders, national movements, and spiritual leaders indispensable each emergence successful resistance.”