Sub-Saharan Africa

Countries & Territories: 50
997 million people
18% free
Press:
12% free

News & Updates

Freedom Alert

Ugandan Legislator Reintroduces Anti-Gay Bill

Feb 9 2012 - 3:16pm

Freedom House is alarmed by the Ugandan parliament’s decision to reintroduce anti-gay legislation, and welcomes the Ugandan government’s move not to support the parliament’s decision.  Rather than contributing to the persecution of sexual minorities in the country, parliament must make every effort to ensure the safety of all lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender persons (LGBT).

Issues: 
Civil Society, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa
Freedom Alert

Freedom House Condemns Arrest of WOZA Members

Feb 8 2012 - 2:12pm

Freedom House condemns the arrest of Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members, including leader Jenni Williams. She was arrested February 6 as she left a meeting with the Joint Operations, Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) — a multi-partisan panel tasked with implementing the country’s Global Political Agreement.

Issues: 
Civil Society, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa
Freedom Alert

Freedom House Calls for Release of Sudanese Activists

Jan 26 2012 - 12:07pm

Freedom House calls for the immediate release of five Girifna youth movement activists in Khartoum, Sudan and others arrested after recent protests throughout the country.

Issues: 
Civil Society, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa
Press Release

Freedom in the World 2012: The Arab Uprisings and Their Global Repercussions

Jan 19 2012 - 9:10am

The political uprisings that have swept the Arab world over the past year represent the most significant challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism, according to Freedom in the World 2012.

Issues: 
Civil Society, Democratic Governance, Elections, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights, Internet Freedom, Media Freedom, Religious Freedom, Rule of Law, Women's Rights
Regions: 
Americas, Asia-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe/Eurasia, Global, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Western Europe

Experts

Karlekar, Karin Deutsch

Dr. Karlekar is the project director of Freedom of the Press, an annual index that tracks trends in media freedom worldwide.

Herman, Robert

Dr. Herman is vice president for regional programs at Freedom House, where he oversees a range of programs in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Eurasia.

Angola
20 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Benin
9.1 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Botswana
2 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Burkina Faso
17 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
4.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Burundi
10 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
5.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Cameroon
20 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Cape Verde
496 thousand people
Press:
Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
1.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Central African Republic
5 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
5.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Chad
12 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Comoros
754 thousand people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville)
3.9 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa)
68 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Côte d'Ivoire
23 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Djibouti
906 thousand people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Equatorial Guinea
720 thousand people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
7.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Eritrea
5.9 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
7.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Ethiopia
87 million people
Internet:
Not Free
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
69 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
Gabon
1.5 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Gambia, The
1.8 million people
Press:
Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Ghana
25 million people
Press:
Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
1.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Guinea
10 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
5.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Guinea-Bissau
1.6 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
4.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Kenya
42 million people
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
32 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
Lesotho
2.2 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Liberia
4.1 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Madagascar
21 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
5.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Malawi
16 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Mali
15 million people
Press:
Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Mauritania
3.5 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Mauritius
1.3 million people
Press:
Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
1.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Mozambique
23 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Namibia
2.3 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Niger
16 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Nigeria
162 million people
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
4.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
35 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
Rwanda
11 million people
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
5.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
50 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
São Tomé and Príncipe
180 thousand people
Press:
Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Senegal
128 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Seychelles
88 thousand people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Sierra Leone
5.4 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Somalia
9.9 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
7.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
South Africa
50 million people
Internet:
Free
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Free
Scores Overview
2.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
26 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
Sudan
42 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
7.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Swaziland
1.2 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Tanzania
46 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Togo
5.8 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
4.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Uganda
34 million people
Press:
Partly Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
4.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Zambia
13 million people
Press:
Not Free
Status
Partly Free
Scores Overview
3.5 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
Zimbabwe
12 million people
Internet:
Partly Free
Press:
Not Free
Status
Not Free
Scores Overview
6.0 / 7 (least free)
Freedom Rating
54 / 100 (most free)
Internet Freedom
Reunion
Scores Overview

Countries & Territories

Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa)
Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville)
Côte d'Ivoire
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia, The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Reunion
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Somaliland
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Programs

Swaziland

The Swazi state, in its desperate bid to keep a firm grip on power, has attempted to close off almost all civic space.

Issues: 
Democratic Governance, Freedom of Association, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Namibia

Combating corruption is a particularly vital undertaking in Namibia, a country listed on the cusp of the ‘most’ corrupt countries in the world.

Issues: 
Democratic Governance, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Zimbabwe

Nearly three years after the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in February 2009, state-sanctioned violence, arrests of opposition members and activists, and an increasingly closed

Issues: 
Elections, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Expression, Human Rights
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Cameroon

The repressive regime has fostered an environment in which political and civil liberties are regularly violated.

Issues: 
Elections
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Weak institutions, unevenly distributed development, a vulnerable peace agreement, and renewed interethnic violence all threaten this young and fragile country.

Issues: 
Democratic Governance, Freedom of Association, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sudan

In early 2011, as the winds of political change swept throughout North Africa, Sudanese democracy activists faced a severe crackdown after several protests took place in January and February.

Issues: 
Human Rights
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Ethiopia

The role of Ethiopian human rights organizations has become increasingly important due to serious democratic backsliding in that country the past couple of years.  However, their work has been seve

Issues: 
Human Rights
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya and Uganda

Bringing perpetrators of human rights abuses to account is central to the fight against impunity.

Issues: 
Human Rights, Rule of Law
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Support to Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa

Through technical assistance and direct financial support, Freedom House is working to strengthen the capacity of the network of human rights organizations in Central Africa.  Assistance is aimed a

Issues: 
Human Rights
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Institute for Governing with Integrity

The Africa Institute empowers young professionals in government and civil society to lead with integrity and provides on-going support for their initiatives to catalyze reform in their home institu

Issues: 
Democratic Governance
Regions: 
Sub-Saharan Africa