Month: February 2025

Repression trends against human rights defenders in Sahel nations

Aïcha Abdou

Sahel governments escalate crackdowns on human rights defenders The Sahel region is witnessing an alarming surge in state-led repression targeting human rights defenders and civil society organizations. A new report reveals systemic attempts by governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad to silence dissent through coordinated legal harassment, arbitrary detentions, and digital surveillance. © AFP Systematic repression methods uncovered The report by the Observatoire pour la protection des défenseurs des droits humains (a joint program of FIDH and OMCT) documents 61 verified cases of human rights violations against defenders…

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Sahel junta regimes risk justice as countries exit ECOWAS

Aïcha Abdou

The Sahel region is facing a troubling shift as military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger tighten their grip on power, each sharing a dangerous disregard for accountability. These regimes share three critical—and concerning—commonalities. First, they are all governed by unelected military leadership. Second, they are notorious for committing severe human rights violations, including widespread civilian atrocities in conflict zones, alongside systematic suppression of civil and political freedoms. Third, they have collectively withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). While this final point may seem unrelated…

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