The American organisation Freedom House reveals that Cape Verde and Mauritius are among the best-ranked countries in Africa in terms of respect for political rights and civil liberties, emphasising that Mozambique is considered a “partially” free country.
In its 51st annual “Freedom in the World” report, released on Thursday (29), the non-governmental organisation (NGO) points out that on the African continent there has been a decline in freedom for the tenth consecutive year, and explains that Cape Verde and Mauritius are, respectively, the first and second highest ranked countries.
“Freedom in Africa declined for the tenth consecutive year in 2023, due to armed conflicts, military coups and electoral irregularities,” says Freedom House.
In the document, the Washington-based organisation points out that, in general, freedom in Africa has declined, with 14 countries registering a reduction in their score compared to five that have improved.
Niger recorded the sharpest drop in its score (-18 points) after the military forces ousted the elected government, while Liberia recorded the biggest improvement in its score (+4 points).
As for the Portuguese-speaking African countries, Angola and Equatorial Guinea are classified as “not free”, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique as “partly free” and Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe as “free”.
South Sudan, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic are the lowest ranked countries on the continent.
The report states that only 7 per cent of people in Africa live in free countries, while 50 per cent live in non-free countries.
