In this episode of The Other Side, Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum unpacks the deepening crisis of electoral violence sweeping across Africa. From the October 2025 elections in Cameroon, where protests and killings erupted after President Paul Biya’s re-election, to Tanzania, where reports suggest more than 700 people have died following disputed polls — the continent’s old ghosts of rigged elections, power struggles, and state-sponsored crackdowns have returned.
Across decades, Africa’s democratic story has been interrupted by bloodshed. From Nigeria’s Western Region crisis (1964-65) that triggered a military coup, to the 2011 post-election violence that claimed 800 lives, electoral disputes have repeatedly undermined stability.
Similar tales echo in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan — each scarred by deadly confrontations after contested results. Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum traces this painful pattern: weak institutions, politicized security agencies, compromised judiciaries, and desperate leaders who cling to power at all costs.
He highlights how internet shutdowns, once used by regimes in Iran and Afghanistan, have become a recurring tactic for African leaders trying to silence dissent — yet history shows, as with the Soviet Union, that repression only delays collapse.
The program also explores the broader implications:
- How poor governance and unemployment make youths pawns in political conflicts.
- Why electoral mismanagement fuels terrorism and insurgency.
- How Africa’s “winner-takes-all” politics deepens divisions and distrust.
- And whether leaders can find the courage to allow credible, peaceful transitions — as seen briefly in Kenya (2008) and Zimbabwe (2009).
From Cameroon’s Douala to Dar es Salaam, and from Lagos to Kampala, the message is clear: Africa must learn to conduct elections without bloodshed.
“When will African leaders have credible elections that people within and outside Africa can trust?” — Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum
This episode invites reflection and dialogue on Africa’s democratic future.
Will the continent’s leaders continue silencing citizens — or finally build systems of justice, accountability, and peace?
Watch this thought-provoking analysis on The Other Side, hosted by Rimamnde Shawulu Kwewum.
Join the discussion. Leave your thoughts on how Africa can end election-related violence.
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