The Washington Center for Human Rights (WCHR) is seriously concerned about the widespread application of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions by West African military regimes to stifle dissent and silence civil society. As documented in Amnesty International’s most recent Annual Report, governments in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger have applied these abusive tactics to destroy democratic opposition and spread fear among journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.
A Growing Pattern of Abuse and Fear
Since July 9, 2024, two Guinean pro-democracy activists, Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla (“Foniké Menguè”), have been forcibly disappeared after being abducted by Guinean security forces in anticipation of nationwide protests. Evidence from fellow activist Mohamed Cissé, who was also arrested and subsequently released with severe injuries, corroborates that the activists were detained on the Îles de Los archipelago off the coast of Conakry. In spite of glaring evidence, officials still claim ignorance of their locations.
This is not an isolated case. Armed individuals—usually on the state’s behalf—routinely kidnap judges, lawyers, journalists, and civil society activists without a warrant, hold them in secret places, and deny responsibility, leaving families desperate. These kidnappings are part of a wider clampdown aimed at intimidating the populace and eradicating dissidence.
Documented Cases Across the Region
In Burkina Faso, lawyer and political activist Guy Hervé Kam was detained for five months in 2024. Five of his colleagues were kidnapped in March 2025 in the same circumstances. Four journalists—Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala, Kalifara Séré, and Alain Traoré—were forcibly disappeared in mid-2024. Later, authorities asserted that three of them had been forcibly drafted into the army under a blanket mobilization decree, an assertion that poses serious legal and ethical questions. Alain Traoré’s fate is still unknown.
In Niger, civic leader Moussa Tchangari and journalist Samira Sabou were both illegally held in 2023 with no or minimal information shared with their families or legal representatives. In Mali, opposition leader Ibrahim Nabi Togola went missing for 45 days. And in Guinea, journalist Habib Marouane Camara has been missing since December 3, 2024.
Most of these disappearances ultimately lead to trumped-up charges or involuntary military conscription, a threatening escalation of state intrusion.
Notwithstanding the atmosphere of terror, segments of the judiciary have stood up valiantly to justice. The Guinean Bar Association boycotted hearings in July 2024 as a protest against demanding the release of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah. Courts in Burkina Faso ordered Guy Hervé Kam to be released. Yet judges who dare to stand against state atrocities suffer retaliation—at least five Burkinabè judges were forcibly enlisted in 2024.
The global community cannot turn a blind eye. The judiciaries of these nations have to be protected and empowered in order to exercise their vital role in upholding the rule of law and examining enforced disappearances.
The Washington Center for Human Rights calls on military leaders in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger to:
- Release all enforced disappearance and unlawful detention victims forthwith.
- Put an end to arbitrary arrest, abduction, and forced military recruitment.
- Guarantee the autonomy and safety of the judiciary.
- Join international human rights mechanisms and permit unrestricted access to detention centres.
We also urge international actors such as the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS to step up pressure on such regimes and provide immediate assistance to civil society and judicial systems targeted.
As military dictatorships heighten their oppression in West Africa, it is up to international vigilance and solidarity to ensure the life of democratic liberties and human dignity. Justice should not be muzzled—and neither should its guardians who stand valiantly in its defence.