This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
Published on June 6, 2020, US officials have expressed concern that the Covid-19 pandemic is being used by some African governments to undermine democratic freedoms and silence independent media.
Christopher Runyan, senior coordinator of the Africa bureau of the US Agency for International Development (USAid), described the trend as 'democratic backsliding.'
Runyan cited 'disturbing trends' including the cancellation or postponement of elections, targeted crackdowns on key population groups, and increased gender-based and criminal violence.
At least nine African countries, including Kenya, have postponed national or local elections due to the risk of infections, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.
Kenyan authorities have indefinitely postponed local by-elections scheduled to take place in April, while parliamentary and regional voting in Ethiopia has been called off with no new date announced.
Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni has suggested that it would be 'madness' to hold a presidential election on schedule early next year if the virus has not been vanquished.
US officials emphasized the importance of 'transparency' in Africa's reporting on the spread of the virus, with Dr Kenneth Staley, head of USAid's Covid-19 task force, stating that 'without transparency, we don't know how to respond.'
The US has provided nearly $400 million to fight the virus in Africa through emergency health, humanitarian and economic assistance, according to Dr Staley.
