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Sahel: Top UN Rights Official Visits Burkina Faso, Niger

Governments Should Protect Civilians, Investigate Abuses

(Bamako) – Governments in the Sahel should adopt measures to better protect civilians, ensure that counterterrorism operations respect rights, and fully investigate abuses by all sides, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations High…
Map of the Sahel region
News

Niger: Surging Atrocities by Armed Islamist Groups

Over 420 Civilians Killed During Attacks, Massacres in 2021

(Bamako) – Islamist armed groups have killed over 420 civilians and driven tens of thousands from their homes during attacks in western Niger since January 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. The armed Islamist groups should cease all abuses against…
Villagers at a mass grave containing the remains of civilians killed during the March 21, 2021 attack by armed Islamist groups on villages in Tahoua region, Niger. More than 170 Tuareg villagers were killed in the attack, Niger’s worst atrocity in recent history.
News

New Pledges to End Child Marriage in Francophone Africa

Governments Need to Match Commitments with Action

Earlier in July, governments, philanthropies, and the private sector pledged almost $40 billion at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris to fight gender inequality over the next five years. The aim is to accelerate progress on women’s and girls’…
A girl holds the hand of a boy in Agadez, Niger on October 9, 2018.
News

Niger: New Government Should Investigate Massacres

Bazoum Administration Should Make Justice a Priority

(Nairobi) – Niger’s first democratic transition since independence provides President Mohamed Bazoum’s new administration with an opportunity to prioritize accountability for alleged war crimes committed by all sides in Niger’s armed conflict, Human…
202104ccd_Niger_president
News

Niger’s Fragile Democracy at Risk After Election

Government Should Restore Internet, Respect Protesters’ Rights

This was meant to be Niger’s first peaceful and democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. But contested results and disruptions to internet access now threaten this process. Local media sources in Niger and members of the internet…
Election officials count votes by flashlight inside a school used as a polling station during elections in Niamey, Niger, Sunday, March 20, 2016.
News

Algeria: Migrants, Asylum Seekers Forced Out

Thousands, Including Children, Expelled to Niger Without Due Process

(Beirut) – Algerian authorities expelled thousands of migrants and asylum seekers to Niger during waves of roundups of mostly sub-Saharan Africans across at least nine cities in recent weeks, Human Rights Watch said today. Security personnel have…
Migrants of several nationalities, part of a group of 270 people, arrive from Algeria to Assamaka, Niger, on September 30, 2020. © 2020 IOM Niger
News

Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools Surge in Africa’s Sahel

First International Day to Protect Education from Attack Addresses Violations Globally

(New York) – The Central Sahel has seen a significant spike in attacks on students, teachers, and schools since 2018, according to a new report released today by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). The report is launched…
A school in northern Burkina Faso is abandoned after an attack by an armed group.
News

Niger: Video Shows Army Killing Wounded Men

Ensure Justice for Apparent War Crime

A video from Niger shows government soldiers in a military vehicle running over and killing two alleged Boko Haram fighters who appear unarmed and wounded, Human Rights Watch said today. The video, which the Niger government confirmed is from the…
Aerial view of Diffa, southeastern Niger
News

Algeria: New Wave of Deportations

Allegations of Beatings in Round-Ups of Sub-Saharan Migrants

(Tunis) – Algerian authorities have rounded up hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans since January 2018, including women and children, expelling many of them to Niger, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have deprived those arrested of their right…
Migrants on a truck, leaving the camp in Tamanrasset on February 13, 2018.
News

The Dangerous Work of Defending Transparency

The bold activists around the world who stand up to corporate and government economic interests frequently face a harsh backlash. Individuals and communities are threatened, and activists may be arrested or killed with impunity in retaliation for speaking…
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Libya: Burkina Faso and Niger Back Gaddafi's Victims

There is good news in the world of international justice: Burkina Faso and Niger have said unequivocally that they will not give safe haven to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi - who may be seeking a new place to call home. The two governments cited…
News

African Al Qaeda Should Stop Targeting Civilians

Algeria Summit States Should Urge End to Murders, Kidnappings

(Dakar) - Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has in recent months stepped up targeting tourists and aid workers for murder and kidnapping in Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, Human Rights Watch said today. AQIM should immediately and unconditionally free…
News

Mali: Militants Should Free Remaining Hostage

Murder of Tourist by Maghreb al-Qaeda an Affront to Humanity

(Dakar) - Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is responsible for the brutal killing of a British tourist on May 31, 2009, should immediately and unconditionally free a second hostage in its custody, Human Rights Watch said today. The murdered…
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Niger: Warring Sides Must End Abuses of Civilians

Combatants Engaged in Executions, Rape, and Theft

(Dakar) – Niger's armed forces and the rebel Nigerien Movement for Justice should end abuses against civilians in the conflict in the northern Agadez region of Niger, Human Rights Watch said today. The rebels took up arms in February 2007 over the…
Report

Policy Paralysis

POLICY PARALYSIS: A CALL FOR ACTION ON HIV/AIDS-RELATED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN AFRICA      SUMMARY II. ABUSES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS THAT FUEL HIV/AIDS.. HIV/AIDS and Abuse of Girls Risks to Women and Girls in…
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President Bush's Trip to Africa

U.S. President George W. Bush will be traveling to Africa from July 7-12, visiting Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda, and Nigeria. This packet from Human Rights Watch includes material for each stop along the way. A brief overview of the Bush…