Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe greets supporters massed at his party headquarters shortly before his ouster in 2017. Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images January 24, 2022 From Algeria to Zimbabwe: how Africa’s autocratic elites cycle in and out of power Andrea Carboni, University of Sussex and Clionadh Raleigh, University of Sussex Leaders typically spread power among their ‘rival allies’ to keep it and co-opt enough of those elites in exchange for political support.
