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Zawya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
A Year On, Guinean Activists Still Missing
Guinea 's military authorities should credibly investigate the disappearances of two political activists, make their whereabouts known, and either charge them with a recognizable crime or release them immediately, Human Rights Watch said today. One year ago, security forces arbitrarily detained three members of the opposition coalition National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front National pour la Défense de la Constitution, FNDC), Oumar Sylla (known as Foniké Menguè), Mamadou Billo Bah, and Mohamed Cissé, in Conakry, Guinea's capital, and transferred them to an unidentified location. Human Rights Watch received credible information, confirmed by national and international media, that security forces had tortured the three men. Cissé was released on July 10, 2024, while Sylla and Bah remain missing. 'It's been one year since Sylla and Bah went missing, and the Guinean authorities have yet to carry out a credible investigation,' said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. 'Guinean authorities should thoroughly and independently investigate the disappearances and prosecute those responsible.' The authorities have opened an investigation into the disappearance of the three men. But they have denied any responsibility and failed to acknowledge the men's detention or disclose their whereabouts, despite requests for information by lawyers representing the men, and by international and national human rights organizations. On July 9, 2024, dozens of soldiers, gendarmes, and armed men in civilian clothes, stormed Sylla's home and arbitrarily detained him and the others. The security forces repeatedly beat the three political activists, then took them to the gendarmerie headquarters in Conakry, and then to an army camp on Kassa island, off Conakry's coast. The FNDC has been calling for the restoration of democratic rule in Guinea following a military coup in September 2021. In August 2022, Guinea's junta, headed by Gen. Mamady Doumbouya, dissolved the FNDC on politically motivated grounds, but it has continued its activities. On the morning of his disappearance, Sylla, who is the FNDC coordinator, had urged his supporters to go out and protest on July 11, 2024, against media shutdowns by the authorities and the high cost of living. Sylla was one of a number of people arrested in 2022 on charges of 'illegal protest and destruction of public and private buildings' following violent demonstrations in Conakry in which at least five people were killed. Bah, the FNDC outreach coordinator, was previously arrested in January 2023 on charges of 'complicity in the destruction of public and private property, assault, and battery' for taking part in protests. Both were released in May 2023 and cleared of all charges. Since taking power, the junta has suspended independent media outlets, arbitrarily arrested and forcibly disappeared journalists and political opponents. Security forces have used excessive force, including tear gas and gunfire, to disperse peaceful protesters, leading to dozens of deaths since January 2024. On June 21, gunmen abducted and tortured Mohamed Traoré, a prominent lawyer and former bar association president, in apparent reprisal against his decision to resign from the National Transitional Council, the junta's leading transitional body. The military authorities promised to hold elections before the end of 2024, but failed to meet the deadline, sparking opposition-led protests in Conakry in January. Following the protests, officials announced a new election timeline. Gen. Doumbouya has set September 21 as the date for a constitutional referendum and Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah announced in May that presidential elections would take place in December. 'Four years into military rule, the suppression of rights and freedoms has only intensified,' said a prominent FNDC member who is in hiding. 'The government has stifled free expression and assembly; it has incapacitated the political opposition through arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance, harassment, and intimidation. Enough is enough.' Enforced disappearances under international law occur when people acting on behalf of the government arrest, detain, or abduct people and then refuse to acknowledge the act or conceal their whereabouts or what happened to them. International law prohibits enforced disappearances, which violate fundamental rights to liberty and security and the right to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The International Convention for the Protection on All Persons from Enforced Disappearances provides that 'no one shall be subjected to enforced disappearance' and imposes an absolute ban on secret detention. It also requires countries to end abusive practices that facilitate enforced disappearances including arbitrary incommunicado detention, torture, and extrajudicial executions. Guinea is not a party to the treaty but is still bound by international human rights law prohibiting unlawful arrests, abduction, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and other due process violations. It guarantees victims of abuse the right to an effective remedy. 'When authorities deny knowledge of the detentions, they deprive detainees of any protections and make them vulnerable to even worse crimes, like torture,' Allegrozzi said. 'The authorities should take immediate, concrete steps by credibly investigating the disappearances and ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Zawya
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Guinea: One year after the enforced disappearance of Front National de Défense de la Constitution (FNDC) activists, abductions increase in a ‘climate of terror'
Guinean authorities must urgently reveal the fate and whereabouts of National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (Front national de défense de la Constitution – FNDC) activists Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, who were forcibly disappeared a year ago, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible for the abductions and enforced disappearances in Guinea are brought to justice in fair trial and victims and family members of victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies, said 25 Guinean and international human rights organizations. 'We call on the Guinean authorities to break their unbearable silence regarding the fate of the two FNDC activists. There is no indication that they have carried out investigations to find the two activists who have been missing for a year,' the human rights organizations said today. Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla, known as Foniké Menguè, were arrested on 9 July 2024 at the latter's home in Conakry by armed men, before allegedly being taken by special forces to the Loos archipelago. They were interrogated and tortured, according to a third member of FNDC who was abducted with the two others and released the day after. The authorities have denied holding them and their fate remains unknown to this day. The FNDC, a civil society movement calling for a return to civilian rule, was disbanded in 2022. Oumar Sylla, its national coordinator had called for demonstrations on 11 July 2024 against, among other things, repression of the media and the high cost of living. Since the Prosecutor General's announcement on 17 July 2024 of the opening of 'thorough and complete' investigations into several abductions, including those of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, no information has been made public about their progress. Multiplication of cases of abductions and disappearances Journalist Habib Marouane Camara, managing director of Le Révélateur news website, was abducted in Lambanyi, a commune of Conakry, on 3 December 2024 by men in uniform, according to witnesses. On 6 December 2024, the Dixinn public prosecutor's office declared that the 'arrest was carried out without orders from the constituted authorities and outside the cases provided for by law', announcing that an investigation was underway. To date, there has been no news of the journalist's whereabouts. 'Since these announcements, no information has been made public by the authorities. We call on them to shed full light on the cases of abductions and disappearances in the country by conducting prompt, independent, and transparent investigations into these cases. We also call on the authorities to ratify without reservation the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,' said the human rights organizations. In addition to these cases, there have been abductions followed by acts of torture on individuals known for their critical views. On 19 February 2025, the national coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea (Forum des forces sociales de Guinée), Abdoul Sacko, was abducted and found the same day, according to his lawyers 'in a critical state, tortured and abandoned by his abductors in the bush'. Lawyer Mohamed Traoré suffered the same fate in June 2025. The former President of the Guinean Bar Association has testified that he was 'subjected to abuse' after being abducted from his home on the night of 20 to 21 June by armed men. The Bar Association reported that he had been found 'with his back covered in wounds'. On 23 June, the public prosecutor again announced the opening of an 'in-depth investigation into the facts'. 'A climate of terror' Following the abduction of Abdoul Sacko, the Bar Association denounced 'the climate of terror that is gradually taking hold and […] the total lack of reaction from the judicial authorities'. Our organizations spoke to lawyers and political actors who say they have been threatened. A leader of an opposition party has been in hiding for several months, after receiving threats by phone and after people in plain clothes went to his home in his absence, making threats. Another politician said that he frequently changed his residence and route after receiving threats. A lawyer said: 'Since I started defending certain people critical of the government, I have received at least four calls confirming that I am on the list of people whose abduction is planned'. A human rights defender said he had been alerted after his statements denouncing the abduction of Mohamed Traoré: 'I have received two calls from people I know in the judicial system urging me to leave my home because I would be next on the list according to their information. I take this very seriously, I make sure I'm never alone'. 'We call on the Guinean authorities to respect their international human rights obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of everyone in the country, as they have undertaken to do before the United Nations Human Rights Council in April 2025 during the Universal Periodic Review, in particular the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and the rights of human rights defenders,' said the Guinean and international human rights organizations. Signatories Action pour des Personnes Vulnérables (APV) Alliance des Femmes Leaders pour la Parité en Guinée (AFLPAG) Alliances des Médias pour les Droits Humains en Guinée (AMDH) Amnesty International Assistance Justice Aux Droits des Enfants et Femmes (AJDEF) Association des Blogueurs de Guinée (ABLOGUI) Association des Victimes, Parents et Amis des évènements du 28 septembre 2009 (AVIPA) Avocats Sans Frontières Guinée (ASF Guinée) Centre Africain de Formation et d'Information sur les Droits de l'Homme et de l'Environnement (CAFIDHE) Conseil Consultatif des Enfants et Jeunes de Guinée (CCEJG) Coalition des ONG de protection et de promotion des Droits de l'Enfant, Lutte contre la Traite (COLTE/CDE) Convention Guinéenne des Droits de l'Homme (COGUIDH) Convergence des Jeunes Leaders pour la Paix et la Démocratie (COJELPAID) Coordination des Jeunes Cadres Volontaires pour le Futur (CJCVF) Fédération Guinéenne pour la Promotion des Associations des Personnes Handicapées (FEGUIPAH) Fédération internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH), dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des dé des droits humains Forum Civil Guinéen Jeune Action pour la Santé et le Développement (JASD) Leadership Jeunes pour la Paix et le Développement en Afrique (LEJEPAD) Organisation Guinéenne de Défense des Droits de l'Homme et du citoyen (OGDH) Organisation mondiale contre la torture (OMCT), dans le cadre de l'Observatoire pour la protection des dé des droits humains Organisation Secours aux Handicapés de Guinée (OSH Guinée) Union pour le Bien-Être des Personnes Atteintes d'Albinisme (UBPAAG) Women of Africa (WAFRICA Guinée) Women Hope Guinée (WHP) Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
Zawya
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Enforced disappearances as a means of repression by military authorities in West Africa
The military regimes in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger are working to silence any criticism of the authorities in power. To suppress dissenting voices, the defence and security forces regularly resort to enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, as confirmed by Amnesty International's latest Annual Report. Since 9 July 2024, two Guinean activists from the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution (Front national pour la défense de la Constitution, FNDC), a movement calling for a return to constitutional order, have been victims of enforced disappearances. Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla, also known as 'Foniké Menguè,' were abducted from the latter's home on the eve of a day of protests against the high cost of living and advocating for a return to civilian rule. According to the testimony of Mohamed Cissé, another activist arrested with them and released two days later with serious injuries, they were taken into detention to a location somewhere on the archipelago of the Îles de Los, off the coast of Conakry by elements of the defence and security forces. The authorities deny detaining Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla, and their fate remains unknown to this day. Instilling fear in civil society The defence and security forces of West African military regimes target civil society members perceived as opposed to the powers that be through enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions. Following an identical pattern, journalists, judges, lawyers, activists, and human rights defenders are abducted off the street, from their homes, or from their places of work by armed men, who may or may not present themselves as representatives of the State. Loaded into unmarked vehicles, usually blindfolded, they are then detained and interrogated for days, weeks, or even longer. This is done illegally, outside or in violation of any legal procedure. No arrest warrant is issued. The authorities deny any involvement or provide no information about the fate of the abductees. These people's families and lawyers do not receive any news. We sometimes end up learning that people were being held in informal detention sites, such as the offices of the security services. The worst can happen to victims during this out-of-control journey, and it is fear that the defence and security forces are seeking to instil in civil society. The list of missing and unlawfully detained people continues to grow Among other examples, Guy Hervé Kam, a lawyer, co-founder of the political grassroots movement Le Balai Citoyen, and national coordinator of the Sens political movement was unlawfully detained in Burkina Faso for five months in 2024. In March 2025, five other members of the Sens bureau, which had denounced the civilian massacres during the armed conflict, were abducted by armed men dressed in civilian clothing whom, according to witnesses, posed as members of the security forces. The authorities have remained silent on the subject despite calls from the movement. Four journalists and columnists, Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala, Kalifara Séré, and Alain Traoré, also known as 'Alain Alain,' were abducted in June and July 2024. In October 2024, the authorities, who previously had not provided any information on how they are doing, announced that they had enlisted the first three in the army on the basis of a general mobilization decree. The fate of the fourth abductee remains unknown to this day. In Niger, the fate of journalist and blogger Samira Sabou remained unknown for a week in September 2023 following her arrest at her home. The lawyers of Moussa Tchangari, Secretary General of the Alternative Citizen Spaces (Alternatives Espaces Citoyens) organization, who was unlawfully detained, did not know where he was being held until two days after his arrest when their client was transferred into police custody. In Mali, Ibrahim Nabi Togola, president of the opposition party New Vision for Mali (Nouvelle vision pour le Mali, NVPM), was abducted in December 2024 by suspected state security agents and his fate remained unknown until his release 45 days later. In Guinea, journalist Habib Marouane Camara was abducted on 3 December 2024 by armed men identified by witnesses as gendarmes. His family has not heard from him since. Justice at the forefront to safeguard the rule of law Enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions often end with the victim being transferred to the police to initiate fabricated legal proceedings. They can take a more dramatic turn in Burkina Faso, involving the targeted enlistment of detainees into the army, sometimes to face armed groups at the front. This was the case for several civil society players and journalists, notably Guézouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, president and vice-president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso (Association des journalistes du Burkina Faso, AJB), who had publicly denounced the increasing number of attacks on press freedom, and the journalist Luc Pagbelguem, of the private TV channel BF1, who had broadcast these condemnations. Their families did not hear from them for a week after their arrest on 24 March 2025, and then a video showing them in military attire was circulated on social media networks. Amnesty International continues to call on the authorities in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger to put an end to these enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions. In the face of this arbitrariness and the fear of members of civil society of being next on the list of the disappeared, the judiciary must also continue to play its role in investigating enforced disappearances, putting an end to unlawful detentions, and protecting people's rights. This is what several judges in Burkina Faso have courageously done by ordering the immediate release of lawyer Guy Hervé Kam. In July 2024, the Guinean Bar Association called for the release of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, boycotting the hearings for several days. Courts have also condemned arbitrary detentions in Mali and Niger. These actions have put members of the justice system concerned in the crosshairs of the authorities. At least five Burkinabè magistrates were enlisted in the army in 2024 after working on cases involving the authorities or some of their supporters. Despite the untenable pressure, the justice system in these countries must continue to stand up against the illegal actions and authoritarian practices of the military authorities. Increased support from the international community for the justice sector in these countries is essential. The survival of the rule of law is at stake, and possibly the survival of the many people who are still unaccounted for. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
