Life itself is transient. Political power necessarily has to be too. This is what Africa’s dictators and sit-tight Heads of State are being forced to learn, the hard way, how to quit the stage. And Africa will certainly be better for it. Let us first look at the events of 2017.
In Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos stood down as president towards the end of last year, after 38 years, handing the reigns to his successor, Joao Laurenco. But Angola was a small case compared with the tsunami in Zimbabwe. Nobody could have foreseen the events that led to President Robert Mugabe finally stepping down after 37 years. Whatever one prefers to call it – a palace coup, or a coup d’etat – the truth is that Mugabe has finally left political power.
The beauty of it all was that the entire process was handled peacefully, no guns were fired. Zimbabweans rejoiced in the streets that their insulting First Lady Grace and her sit-tight nonagenarian dictator were out of the presidential palace. The guy the Mugabes forced out of office and out of the country, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is now calling the shots as interim president.
In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni was having some difficulty playing his cards to stay in power to continue with his dictatorial regime. Whichever way you look at it, President Museveni wants to be around for a long time to come. But he has to beware the ides of March.
Africa’s first and only female Head of State, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has stepped down after two terms as president of Liberia. She has been replaced by the renowned FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah. Now, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf is receiving accolades for good governance from from all corners of the world.
Enter 2018. Two weeks ago, the dictator in Cameroun, Paul Biya, clocked 35 years in power and his hangers-on and supporters rolled out the drums, singing his praises. Meanwhile, he is using the pretext of secessionists who want Ambazonia Republic to unleash more terror in English-speaking regions of Cameroun.
In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has thrown in the towel after sustained protests against his regime, although the opposition is not impressed. Africa is really on the move.
