For Africa’s Aging Leaders, Succession Is a Family Affair

In the first half of 2026, three of Africa’s longest-serving leaders have moved to extend their grip on power, accelerating speculation on succession dynamics within their countries. Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, 81, secured a seventh presidential term in January following rigged elections amid a vicious crackdown on the opposition and an internet blackout. In Djibouti, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, 78, won his sixth term in April, with more than 97 percent of the vote after the main opposition parties boycotted the contest. That same month, Cameroon’s National Assembly amended the constitution to restore the position of vice president after over half a century, amid elite jockeying to succeed President Paul Biya, 93. The vice president will be appointed by Biya rather than elected.

With a median age of 19 and nearly 60 percent of the population under the age of 25, Africa is the world’s youngest continent, yet large swaths of it are governed by some of the world’s oldest rulers. This is despite the fact that 76 percent of Africans support age limits for their leaders, according to a survey by the pan-African research organization Afrobarometer. 

Of course, no one can cling to power forever. Whether due to mortality, popular pressure, or elite maneuvering, political transitions in longtime personalist regimes like Cameroon, Uganda and Djibouti are becoming more likely, even as their succession dynamics remain murky. These cases in particular warrant special attention due to the regional and geopolitical fallout that could result from potentially messy leadership transitions.