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Rising crackdown on human rights advocates in the Sahel region

By sahel-express / February 20, 2025

Rising crackdown on human rights advocates in the Sahel region

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  • Activists protecting human rights in the Sahel are facing an unprecedented wave of state-led aggression as public liberties and civic spaces rapidly diminish.
  • The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders—a collaborative effort between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)—has released a new study detailing shared repressive strategies in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad. The investigation highlights 61 specific instances of fundamental rights violations.
  • This analysis provides critical guidance for the four nations and international bodies to safeguard those defending human rights, which is vital for maintaining a democratic and open society.

Recent years have brought seismic political shifts to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad. The rise of military leadership and subsequent “transition” phases in these countries have triggered a sharp increase in the persecution of human rights defenders and a severe restriction of civic engagement.

The latest report from the Observatory, titled “Civic Space and Human Rights Defenders in the Sahel: Regional Convergence of Repressive Practices,” exposes how these regimes have synchronized their methods to stifle dissent. Techniques such as arbitrary arrests, persistent legal harassment, abductions, secret detentions, and torture have become alarmingly frequent across the region. Additionally, digital intimidation and online harassment are now standard tools for silencing critics.

“The detailed analysis of 61 attacks against civil society and activists in the Sahel over the last five years presents a grim reality: the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad are trapped in a cycle of escalating violence,” stated Drissa Traore, Secretary General of the FIDH. “This must stop. These nations need to reinstate the rule of law and democratic principles that their citizens value. We stand in full solidarity with the defenders leading this struggle.”

In addition to targeting individuals, authorities in these four countries are dismantling collective freedoms. This includes outlawing protests, using violence to break up gatherings, dissolving independent organizations, and exerting strict control over or suspending media outlets. These actions directly violate the regional and international legal commitments these states are bound to uphold, threatening any chance of a rights-respecting resolution to current crises.

“It is imperative that the leadership in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Chad align their actions with international law and end the persecution of civil society,” said Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of the OMCT. “We also call upon the United Nations, the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples, and global partners to take every possible measure to halt these violations of basic rights.”

The complete report is available for consultation in both English and French on the official platforms of the FIDH and the OMCT.

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