CSO Regrets West Africa’s Rising Authoritarianism.
Alarm has been raised by Spaces for Change (S4C) over rising authoritarianism in West African nations.
Stakeholders appealed for cooperation at the Lagos launch of “Civic Space in West Africa: Trends, Threats and Futures” to stop the disdain for the rule of law in countries that profess to practice democracy.
The study, which was presented by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director of S4C, identified hot spots in the sub-civic region’s life.
Additionally, it revealed strategies governments often use to stifle resistance and the shameful role played by non-state players in igniting the polity.
The following are the five main factors that will pose dangers to West African civic space in the future: coups, elections, the youth bulge, digital technology, and insecurity. Military coups and further demonstrations will be sparked by the subregion’s continued terrible administration, widespread rage, and political reawakening of vast populations of jobless youths in West African nations. Through the constant growth of places for civic involvement, the Internet will enable tech-savvy youngsters to organize, mobilize, and accelerate the ascent of people’s power.
International terrorism will blur the distinction between internal and foreign security as instability in the Sahel area rises, giving governments more license to restrict civic liberties.
A hostile climate for journalists, bloggers, investigative reporters, and news media is signaled by the paper, which claims that press freedom is being attacked across West Africa.
“Crackdowns on journalists and media outlets were documented in all 16 West African countries,” Ibezim-Ohaeri continued. “They mainly took the form of arrests, detentions, office raids, brutality, seizures of journalistic equipment, sanctions and fines on broadcast media, anti-media laws designed to gag the press, hacking of cell phones, among other things.
