Do you know that many African countries are still under dictators? Africa comprises about 54 countries, and more than half of them have citizens living under oppression and limited freedom.
In these African countries, democratic institutions and social organisations are often weak or non-existent.
Dictators stifle dissent through intimidation, incarceration, murder, or assassination. As a result, citizens have significantly less political freedom and personal liberty.
Africa has the largest number of long-serving dictators globally. In Africa, democracy is precarious, and there is a significant risk that one tyrant will be replaced by another.

The Democracy Index, published by the World Population Review, assesses electoral procedures, civil liberties, and political engagement, and is used to classify countries designated as authoritarian regimes. “Not Free” nations are typically dictatorships with minimal civil rights or political freedoms.
ALSO READ: Top 10 African Countries That Attracted The Most Tourists in 2024
Here are 27 African Countries That Are Not Free And Their Leaders
1. Ethiopia – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
2. DR Congo – President Félix Tshisekedi
3. Tanzania – President Samia Suluhu Hassan
4. Sudan – General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman al-Burhan
5. Algeria – President Abdelmadjid Tebboune
6. Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni
7. Angola – President João Lourenço
8. Cameroon – President Paul Biya
9. Niger – General Abdourahamane Tchiani
10. Burkina Faso – Captain Ibrahim Traoré
11. Somalia – President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
12. Zimbabwe – President Emmerson Mnangagwa
13. Guinea – Colonel Mamady Doumbouya
14. Rwanda – President Paul Kagame
15. Burundi – President Évariste Ndayishimiye
16. South Sudan – President Évariste Ndayishimiye
17. Libya – Rival leaders, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Osama Hamada working with General Khalifa Haftar, who led the warring factions.
18. Republic of Congo – President Denis Sassou Nguesso
19. Central African Republic – President Faustin-Archange Touadéra
20. Eritrea – President Isaias Afwerki
21. Gabon – General Brice Oligui Nguema
22. Equatorial Guinea – President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
23. Eswatini – King Mswati III
24. Djibouti – President Ismaël Omar Guelleh
25. Egypt – President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
26. Mali – Colonel Assimi Goïta
27. Gambia – President Adama Barrow
While many of these countries hold elections, the lack of opposition, restricted freedom of expression and the press, and the absence of free and fair elections resulted in them being labelled as “not free.”