The problems of political regimes in sub-Saharan Africa

The classic doctrine of political transitions assumes that they involve the democratic succession from oppression to freedom, from human rights violations to the rule of law. It presents this phenomenon as beginning with the process of dissolving an authoritarian regime and leading to the establishment of a democratic system of governance. In Africa in the 1990s, this paradigm inspired donor policies through support programs for democratization, electoral processes, the press and civil society, the judiciary and even the reform of the armed forces and police. The optimism of this era of proclitic conditionality quickly gave way to disenchantment, when it became clear that "the mayonnaise wasn't working", at least not everywhere. The premium on democratization is replaced by the premium on good management, and in many cases even by the premium on the status quo. Note that political transitions do not necessarily lead from dictatorship to democracy, and evolution is not necessarily straightforward.