In addition to global crises, from climate change to the war in Ukraine and cost-of-living crises, which directly affect the region’s prospects, several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have faced security challenges in the form of military coups. , extremism, terrorist attacks and increased crime. Many of these contexts demonstrate how conflict and corruption are linked.
According to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s 2022 Global Peace Index, the Central African Republic (24), the Democratic Republic of Congo (twenty), Somalia (12), South Sudan (13) and Sudan (22) are five of the ten least peaceful countries in the world. The CPI also places them among the 30 countries with the worst perceptions of corruption in the public sector.
Poorly governed national defense forces across the region struggle to deal with such security challenges, and their vulnerability to corruption undermines state responses. Amid a volatile political context in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for example, deep-rooted corruption facilitates the activities of illegal armed groups, including through the trafficking of minerals and wildlife that poses a security risk. human and facilitates the looting of resources. Armed groups destabilize countries and the region, as exemplified by the March 23 Movement and the so-called Islamic State, which has formed links with the Mozambican Al-Shabab militia.
MaliThe CPI score of (28) is down seven points from its peak of 35 in 2015. While corruption is not necessarily an active driver of conflict, divisions at the center of the violence have been reinforced by years of mismanagement and indifference to the difficult situation. of certain groups in Malian society. The grievances that terrorist groups have proven adept at exploiting stem largely from corruption.
However, the absence of armed conflict does not necessarily mean political stability. In several countries not affected by the war, governments still consider anti-corruption activists public enemies. This can be seen in Madagascar (26), where the CEO and board chair of the national chapter of Transparency International face criminal charges after calling for an investigation into companies involved in the Malagasy lychee trade.
These cases demonstrate the enormous risks that anti-corruption activists and whistleblowers run when exposing corruption in many sub-Saharan African countries. Whistleblower protection legislation is weak throughout the region, with many countries, such as Kenya, by not having an independent law on the protection of whistleblowers. In countries that have such laws or policies, such as Nigeriathese have gaps or implementation is very poor.
There has also been good news. There was a pause in the devastating war in Ethiopiain the Tigray region, which began in November 2020. More leaders in the regions have stood up for democracy, and the African Union has spoken out against military takeovers while continuing to promote Africa’s economic, political and security integration.
