Regional convergence of repression of human rights defenders in the Sahel
- In the Sahel, human rights defenders are being targeted more than ever by the various states, while civic space is deteriorating and public freedoms are under threat.
- The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a partnership of FIDH and OMCT) publishes today a report highlighting common trends of repression in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad. The report is based on the study of more than 61 concrete cases of violations of the fundamental freedoms of human rights defenders in these countries.
- This report proposes recommendations to the four states concerned and to regional and international institutions to ensure the security of human rights defenders, an essential condition for a civil society that guarantees a climate favourable to democratic expression.
Paris-Geneva, 20 February 2025 - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger have experienced major upheavals in recent years. The accession of military leaders to power and the subsequent “transition” periods in these four countries have been accompanied by intensified repression of human rights defenders and a drastic closure of civic space.
The report published today by the Observatory, entitled ‘Civic space and human rights defenders in the Sahel: a regional convergence of repressive practices’, reveals how, in recent years, the regimes in these four countries have implemented similar repressive techniques to silence any dissenting voice. Widespread use of arbitrary arrest and detention, constant judicial harassment, abductions, kidnappings, enforced disappearances and acts of torture are increasingly common in the region. Harassment and threats, including online, have also become full-blown tools of repression.
“The detailed documentation of 61 cases of attacks on human rights defenders and civic space in the Sahel over the last five years highlights one indisputable fact: the authorities in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad seem to be descending into a never-ending spiral of repression,” notes Drissa Traore, Secretary General of the FIDH. “Yet, this spiral must come to an end. These four countries must restore the rule of law and democracy, to which the peoples of the Sahel are attached. This is the struggle of the defenders, and we owe them all our solidarity”.
In addition to direct attacks on human rights defenders, the authorities in all four countries are restricting fundamental freedoms, banning demonstrations and violently repressing those that take place, dissolving associations and controlling and even suspending the media. These multiple attacks are in total contradiction with the regional and international obligations to which these countries have committed themselves. They are jeopardising hopes of a way out of the crisis that respects human rights.
“It is high time that the authorities of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad comply with their international obligations and stop repressing civil society”, adds Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General. “We also call on the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the United Nations and the international partners of these four countries to do their utmost to put an end to the violations of fundamental rights and freedoms”.
Read the full report in French and English on the FIDH website, in French and English on the OMCT website.
Contacts :
FIDH : Maxime Duriez : +33 6 48 05 91 57 | mduriez@fidh.org
OMCT : Francesca Pezzola : fpe@omct.org
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