LAGOS, Nigeria — The decision of Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara to run for a fourth term risks a return to a past era of “old guard dictator rule" in a region where democracy is increasingly being challenged, an analyst warned on Wednesday.

Ibrahim Anoba, an Africa affairs analyst at the Atlas Network, spoke to The Associated Press a day after Ouattara ended months of speculation about his contested candidacy in the October election with an announcement that is likely to lead to the extension of a presidency that started in 2010.

While Ouattara, 83, said his decision to run was informed by the “unprecedented security, economic and monetary challenges” the country faces, his announcement comes after the disqualification of most of his prominent rivals, including former Credit S

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