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Freedom
in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2007: A survey of political and civil liberties
Freedom House
July 16, 2007
http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/press_release/africa_report_jul07.pdf
(direct link to 25 page pdf)
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Freedom in the World
2007, the most recent edition of Freedom House's annual survey,
records both Africa's gains and the distance still to be traveled.
Among the 48 countries of sub- Saharan Africa, 11 were rated Free
for their performance in 2006, while 22 were rated Partly Free and
15 were rated Not Free.
After several
years of steady and, in a few cases, impressive advances for democracy,
sub- Saharan Africa suffered more setbacks than gains during 2006.
One country, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), saw its Freedom
in the World status decline from Partly Free to Not Free due principally
to a heightened lack of transparency and openness on the part of
the government. Other countries suffered declines as well, including
a number that had made promising gains in the recent past, such
as Burundi, Chad, Madagascar, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritius, Somalia,
South Africa, and Guinea-Bissau. More modest declines were registered
in both Partly Free and Not Free countries, including Eritrea, Ethiopia,
The Gambia, Kenya, Seychelles, and Zimbabwe.
There was notable progress
in several countries during the year. The Democratic Republic of
Congo (Kinshasa), the third-most-populous country in sub-Saharan
Africa, saw its political rights rating improve because of the emerging
political process surrounding largely successful presidential elections,
the first in the country's history. Liberia made gains in fighting
corruption and expanding government transparency, and enjoyed a
much needed stabilization during Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's first year
as president. Conditions also improved in Malawi and Benin, as well
as in Mauritania, which took important steps toward political pluralism
and a functioning electoral framework.
The causes for sub-Saharan
Africa's setbacks in 2006 varied from country to country. A region-wide
analysis, however, suggests several factors that were common to
the decline of freedom in many countries. One is a lack of government
transparency and openness. A related issue is increased government
pressure on freedom of expression and the media in countries with
comparatively high levels of overall freedom, such as Ghana and
Mali, as well as in countries with generally poor freedom records,
including Burundi and Gabon. Another factor is regime pressure on
opposition political parties and figures. Perhaps the most significant
factor, however, is a weakness in the rule of law that is reflected
in the ratings of a number of countries, including strong performers,
such as South Africa, and those with less impressive records, such
as Chad, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
The following compilation
of charts and tables presents both current findings and long-term
trends from Freedom in the World and Freedom House's companion survey
of media independence, Freedom of the Press. These figures summarize
the current state of freedom in sub-Saharan Africa and show the
steady, if not spectacular, expansion of African democracy over
the past three decades.
Figure 1, comparing Freedom
in the World 1977 assessments with those made in the most recent
2007 edition, reveals a substantial increase in the proportion of
Free countries (and a related decrease in Not Free societies) in
the world. Figure 2 presents the same comparison for sub-Saharan
Africa, showing a less dramatic but still notable increase in freedom
on the continent. The findings of the Freedom of the Press survey,
which uses a three-tiered rating system similar to that of Freedom
in the World, are conveyed in Figures 3 and 4, comparing media assessments
in 1980 and 2007. These figures show an increase in the level of
global press freedom; regarding sub-Saharan Africa, they show a
considerable increase, albeit from a very low starting point. The
pie charts are followed by two tables listing the most recent, country-specific
ratings for sub-Saharan Africa from Freedom in the World 2007 and
Freedom of the Press 2007. In both tables, the countries are listed
in order from most to least free.
The next set of figures
depict in greater detail the trends of freedom and press freedom
in sub-Saharan Africa. Figure 5 shows the substantial increase in
the number of countries rated Free and Partly Free by Freedom in
the World from 1977 to 2007, although a significant number of countries
have remained in the Not Free category. Figure 6 displays the steady
increase in average regional Freedom in the World ratings for political
rights and civil liberties since 1980. The trends in political rights
and civil liberties ratings for each country of sub-Saharan Africa
are presented in Figures 8-55. In terms of press freedom, Figure
7 shows a striking decrease in the percentage of countries in the
Not Free category from 1980 to 2007, with an accompanying increase
in the percentage of countries rated Free and Partly Free. These
shifts occurred primarily in the early 1990s, and ratings have improved
steadily since then.
We hope these
figures provide useful reference points for discussion and dialogue
about freedom in sub-Saharan Africa. We welcome feedback on this
graphic presentation as well as on the larger issues it illustrates.
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