In Africa, civil rights have become a greater focus in the past several decades than previously. The oppressive governments in Africa turn to punishing their opposition because freedom of speech is not guaranteed. Even the democratic governments do not guarantee the rights to their citizens.
In Nigeria, there are protests with crowds demanding the release of Omoyele Sowore who was an opposition presidential candidate in the most recent elections. He was arrested for promoting a revolution, paid bail, but is still being held. The protesters are demanding the release of the activist and previous candidate but authorities are not responding. Several of the protesters are claiming the authorities shot into the crowd, but the government denies the claim.
In Guinea, there have been several deaths during the protests against the current president. The current president in Guinea is making plans that include creating a new constitution for the country that allows him to run for a third term. Streets in Conakry, the capital city, are being set aflame and filled with protesters and rights groups who are standing up to the possible change. The right to protest is not largely respected in Guinea.
The most surprising thing the article mentioned is that events like these, protests due to infringement on rights, are not rare in Sub-Saharan Africa. We take for granted the right to freedom of speech, protest, assembly and more in the United States but these are not guaranteed everywhere. The credibility of the governments in these countries are being challenged but there is no safe way to do it. The fear of abuse from the government is greater than the fear of punishment of actions. In these countries, the punishments include jail, and sometimes death. Although not intentionally, protests have resulted in death due to authorities attempting to break them up.