Your go-to English source for news from Ouagadougou and Burkina Faso, updated daily.
demands for immediate release of detained civil rights defender Prominent human rights advocate Moussa Tiangari has been arbitrarily held in Niger’s Filingué prison for over six months, according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). These organizations are demanding his immediate and […]
UN experts warn against suspending political party activities in Mali In a joint statement, independent UN human rights experts strongly criticized a recent decree in Mali that suspends political party activities indefinitely, calling it a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights. The move follows the adoption of a draft law that threatens to erode protections […]
Renforcer la protection des défenseur·e·x·s au moyen de lignes directrices diplomatiques 14 mars 2026 ISHR lance deux nouveaux outils interactifs visant à renforcer les initiatives diplomatiques en faveur des défenseur·e·x·s des droits humains : l’un s’adresse aux diplomates, l’autre aux défenseur·e·x·s.
Mali protests: Bamako residents rally against potential ban on political parties Hundreds of Malians took to the streets of Bamako on May 3rd to protest against what they see as an impending crackdown on political parties by the military authorities. This rare demonstration unfolded amid growing fears of an authoritarian shift under the leadership of […]
The political landscape of West Africa is shifting rapidly. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are currently under the stewardship of military leaders who assumed control through various coups between 2020 and 2023. These three nations, covering a vast territory of nearly 2.8 million square kilometers, share a common struggle: the relentless battle against terrorism and […]
In Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger, military regimes are increasingly silencing dissent through forced disappearances and illegal detentions. These tactics, highlighted in recent reports, aim to crush opposition voices and instill fear across civil society. Since July 9, 2024, two activists from Guinea’s Front National pour la Défense de la Constitution—Mamadou Billo Bah and […]
In response to Mali’s proposal to dissolve all political parties following consultations on the revision of the Political Parties Charter, Ousmane Diallo, Sahel researcher at Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa regional office, issued a stark warning: « The prospect of dissolving political parties in Mali raises serious concerns, as it would represent a blatant […]
Mali leads the way with innovative hybrid malaria vaccine approach On World Malaria Day, Mali implements a groundbreaking hybrid vaccination strategy to combat the disease. The West African nation becomes the 20th African country to introduce malaria vaccines and the first globally to adopt this seasonal dosing approach. In 2023, Mali accounted for 3.1% of […]
Burkinabè authorities are significantly escalating their suppression of dissenting opinions by including the names of several exiled journalists and activists on a list of individuals wanted for “criminal association in relation to a terrorist enterprise.” This development is widely perceived as a calculated strategy to intensify the government’s repression against independent media outlets and human […]
Click to expand Image (Nairobi) – La junte militaire du Burkina Faso a arrêté trois journalistes le 24 mars 2025 pour avoir couvert la répression gouvernementale contre les médias, a déclaré Human Rights Watch aujourd’hui. Les autorités ont arrêté Guezouma Sanogo et Boukari Ouoba, respectivement président et vice-président de l’Association des journalistes du Burkina (AJB), […]
Eighteen months following the coup d’état on July 26, 2023, which ousted elected President Mohamed Bazoum, the CNSP military administration is intensifying its control over Niger. A recent investigation by Amnesty International, published on March 18, details a troubling landscape of forced arrests, unlawful detentions, media crackdowns, and the prohibition of political parties. The report, […]
Sahel governments intensify crackdowns on human rights defenders Human rights defenders across the Sahel region face growing threats as civic freedoms rapidly erode and public liberties come under sustained attack from state authorities. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint initiative of the International Federation for Human Rights – FIDH and […]