H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye
President of the Republic of Burundi
African Union Special Envoy for the Sahel Region
Dear President Ndayishimiye,
Congratulations on your appointment as the African Union Special Envoy for the Sahel. Your assumption of this role comes at a pivotal moment for a region grappling with deteriorating security, deepening humanitarian crises, and escalating human rights abuses. We write to respectfully highlight key human rights concerns and urge you to make the promotion of human rights a cornerstone of your mandate.
Human Rights Watch is an independent nongovernmental organization dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. We monitor and report on violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in about 100 countries around the world. We have been working on human rights issues in the Sahel region for more than 20 years.
Your appointment comes amidst increased instability and violence against civilians caught in conflict in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, a resurgence of authoritarian rule following a series of military coups, the steady rejection by the military juntas to create meaningful transitions to civilian democratic rule, and the growing marginalization of independent institutions, including the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and civil society organizations. These dynamics have eroded the rule of law, widened impunity for serious human rights abuses, and left civilians increasingly vulnerable.
Key regional human rights concerns that you should be aware of include:
- Lack of protection for civilians caught in armed conflict: Islamist armed groups and government security forces continue to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. As of mid-2025, the armed conflicts in the Sahel had killed at least tens of thousands of civilians, resulting in one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, forcing over three million people from their homes.
- Suppression of civil and political rights: Since 2020, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have had unconstitutional changes in government. The ruling juntas have systematically repressed the political opposition, and cracked down on dissidents, journalists, and civil society activists, employing tactics including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and unlawful forced conscription. The military leaders in the three countries have all been installed as presidents outside of constitutional processes, further delaying the return to democratic governance.
- Entrenched impunity: Authorities in the three countries have systematically failed to genuinely investigate and prosecute grave human rights abuses, including by their own security forces. The climate of impunity has emboldened perpetrators and denied victims justice. The three countries’ withdrawal from ECOWAS in early 2025 has also cut off access to the ECOWAS Court of Justice, a vital regional accountability mechanism for victims of abuse.
Country-specific concerns that you should be aware of include:
- In Burkina Faso, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, JNIM) continues to kill and forcibly displace civilians in its effort to establish territorial control. JNIM has laid siege to dozens of towns and villages, cutting people off from food, basic necessities and aid. In their response to JNIM, the current junta, which took power in a 2022 coup, and their allied militias, known as Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie (VDPs), have targeted civilians, especially from the Fulani ethnic group, in mass killings that are war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity. Ibrahim Traoré, the junta leader, has extensively cracked down on the political opposition, the media and peaceful dissent, including through arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and unlawful conscription of human rights activists, journalists and political opponents.
- In Mali, civilians are trapped in a cycle of violence between Islamist armed groups and the Malian armed forces, supported by the Russia-linked paramilitary groups the Wagner Group and Africa Corps. All sides have committed gross human rights abuses. Authorities have restricted fundamental rights and freedoms, silenced the media, the political opposition, and dissent by forcibly disappearing political figures, whistleblowers, and journalists. In May the junta adopted a bill that effectively abolishes multiparty politics, banning opposition political meetings, speeches, and organizations.
- In Niger, military authorities have cracked down on the media, peaceful dissent and political opposition since taking power in a coup in July 2023. Former President Mohamed Bazoum and his wife remain arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges alongside with other former officials. The prominent human rights activist and critic of the junta, Moussa Tiangari, who was arbitrarily arrested in December 2024, remains in detention on fabricated terrorism-related charges. The junta has created a database of people suspected of terrorism, setting out overbroad criteria for inclusion, depriving those listed of due process and an adequate redress mechanism, and putting protection of personal data and other privacy rights at risk. Authorities have also stripped critics and opponents of their Nigerien nationality. Civilians continue to endure abuses during the fighting between Islamist armed groups and government forces in the Tillabéri region.
Human Rights Watch welcomes the statement by the AU Chairperson on the occasion of your appointment to “spearhead the renewed Africa Union’s high level diplomatic support and collaborative efforts aimed at addressing the prevailing security and humanitarian challenges in the Sahel.” However, AU action in the region has so far been inadequate in responding to the gravity and scope of abuses by both state and non-state actors.
We urge you to ensure the AU’s future approach on the Sahel:
- Place human rights and the rule of law at the center of its strategy.
- Prioritize the protection of civilians by pressing all parties – including national forces, allied militias and foreign fighters – to respect international humanitarian law.
- Insist on accountability and justice by advocating for credible and impartial investigations into abuses, fair prosecutions of those responsible regardless of rank or position, and seeking redress for victims and their families.
- Publicly condemn violations and abuses committed by all sides, including those by national security forces, pro-government militias and foreign fighters, and by Islamist armed groups.
- Press for the release of arbitrarily detained individuals, such as Niger’s former President Bazoum and the prominent human rights activist Tiangari. Support credible and impartial investigations especially in the most emblematic cases of human rights abuses, including Moura and Djafarabe in Mali, and Karma, Soro and Nondin, Solenzo in Burkina Faso.
- Promote respect for civil and political rights, including freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation.
- Support international and regional collaboration with key partners, including: the AU Special Envoy on the prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities; the United Nations Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel; the United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali; the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and the European Union Special Envoy on the Sahel.
Human Rights Watch values its longstanding engagement with the AU and many of its member states. We look forward to working with your office to promote a rights-respecting, inclusive and secure Sahel region.
We remain available to provide further information related to the documentation on the human rights situation in the Sahel.
Sincerely,
Allan Ngari,
Africa Advocacy Director
Human Rights Watch
