2025 has been a turbulent year for democracy across Africa. In Tanzania, violent protests erupted after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was re-elected with 98% amid claims of rigged elections. Opposition leaders were jailed or barred from running, shattering Tanzania's peaceful image. Several nations saw protests and military takeovers. Mo Ibrahim's foundation reported that governance, including participation and security, has stalled since 2022, with rising coups a major concern. Inflation and the high cost of living have fueled discontent. Some countries had peaceful elections. In Malawi, Peter Mutharika returned as president. Seychelles’ United Seychelles party reclaimed power. However, long-time ruling parties lost ground in South Africa and Senegal. In the Sahel region, military-led governments in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso formed a new alliance after coups, splitting from the regional bloc ECOWAS. Africa’s young population clashes with aging leaders. Cameroon’s 92-year-old president Paul Biya won a controversial eighth term amid protests. Though protests in Tanzania and Cameroon didn’t force change, Madagascar’s youth protests led to President Andry Rajoelina’s removal in a coup. Nerima Wako of Kenyan group Saisa said protests are often the last option when official channels fail. She described a "broken social contract" as young Africans demand basic services like health and water. Adem Abebe from the International Institute for Democracy noted growing public anger over political freedoms and poor service delivery. He linked Africa’s slide towards authoritarianism to less pressure from Western powers, as countries like the US focus more on transactional ties than democracy promotion. By late 2025, eight African nations are now under military control, with Guinea-Bissau the latest to fall. An attempted coup in Benin triggered swift ECOWAS action, signaling stronger defense of democracy in West Africa. Uganda’s January 2026 elections, involving 40-year leader Yoweri Museveni, are highly anticipated but feared to be contentious. Mo Ibrahim stressed the importance of listening to Africa’s youth, its majority, to create a democratic future. “We are in a crisis,” said Nerima Wako. Governments slow to respond to their people risk losing power in this new political era.