Angola

President José Eduardo dos Santos, in power for nearly four decades, has announced that he will step down in 2017, bringing hope for human rights improvements after elections planned for August. Angolans continue to suffer from government repression and corruption, as well as the country’s worst economic crisis since the civil war ended in 2002. The crisis, sparked by the global drop in oil prices, slowed a decade of growth and exacerbated problems caused by years of mismanaged public funds and corruption. Security forces frequently crackdown on pro-democracy and human rights activists, raising doubts about whether the elections will be free and fair.