DR Congo: Renewed Repression, Impunity Top Rights Concerns
Visiting Human Rights Watch Head Presses Senior Officials to Change Course The Human Rights Watch executive director, Philippe Bolopion, urged senior Congolese officials to respect freedom of expression, end arbitrary arrests and detentions, and ensure accountability for abuses during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo from May 17 to 21, 2026, Human Rights Watch said […]
South Africa: New Waves of Xenophobic Attacks
Stop Scapegoating Migrants; Ensure Protection Measures, Accountability Vigilantes in South Africa have carried out violent xenophobic attacks targeting African and Asian foreign nationals in recent weeks, with little or insufficient apparent response from the police and other authorities, Human Rights Watch said today. In April and May 2026, a citizen-led movement, March and March, that advocates […]
Court Judgment Raises Concerns About Civic Freedoms in Nigeria
Judiciary Should Uphold Rule of Law, Protect Civic Space On May 5, a Nigerian high court ordered the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a prominent local human rights organization, to pay 100 million naira (about US$72,000) in damages to two Department of State Services officials. The court also directed the organization to publish public apologies […]
Rwanda Genocide Suspect Dies without Facing Justice
Proceedings Halted after Félicien Kabuga was Found Unfit to Stand Trial The death of accused Rwandan genocide financier Félicien Kabuga closes an important chapter of the country’s 1994 genocide. Unfortunately, it also robs survivors of a chance for justice many had waited decades to see. Kabuga, long alleged to have financed the extremist militia that carried out […]
One Year on Since Arrest of Opposition Leader in Chad
Succès Masra’s Continued Detention Emblematic of Political Repression One year after Chadian authorities arrested and later sentenced Succès Masra, the prominent opposition leader and former prime minister, his continued imprisonment on politically motivated charges underscores the government’s intolerance of dissent. Masra, leader of the opposition party Les Transformateurs (The Transformers), was arrested at his residence in N’Djamena early […]
Saudi Arabia: Halt Imminent Executions of Ethiopian Migrants
Scores Sentenced on Drug-Related Offenses; 3 Executed in April At least 65 Ethiopian migrants are at imminent risk of execution in Saudi Arabia for drug-related offenses, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi authorities executed three others on April 21, 2026. “Saudi Arabia’s willingness to execute foreign migrants for nonviolent offences following trials that denied them basic due process […]
Burkina Faso’s Dubious Military Reserve Plan
Rapid Mobilization Risks Fueling Abuses, Weakening Protections Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft law on April 24 to create a 100,000-strong military reserve by the end of 2026. Defense Minister Célestin Simporé framed the move as a way to rapidly mobilize citizens to respond to security threats and “embed Patriotic Defense within a logic […]
Zimbabwe: Crackdown on Student Protesters Intensifies
End Attacks; Respect Freedom of Expression Over Presidential Term Extension Zimbabwean authorities have harassed, abducted, and arbitrarily detained student leaders protesting a proposed constitutional amendment to extend presidential terms, Human Rights Watch said today. Constitutional Amendment No 3 would extend the terms of office for the president and members of parliament from five to seven […]
Uganda: Sovereignty Bill Threatens Speech, Assembly
Bill Mimics Widely Condemned Russia-Style Foreign Agents Law A bill before Uganda’s parliament that proposes sweeping controls over “foreign funding” and political activity threatens fundamental rights and could be used to shut down civil society, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill emulates laws adopted in recent years by other rights-abusing governments, which have been […]
Lack of Principled African Leadership, Action in Sudan
For three years, civilians in Sudan have borne the brunt of a conflict epitomized by widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, often amounting to atrocity crimes. Once, such a conflict would have moved continental leaders into action. But three years in, concrete measures by African states and bodies to protect civilians and […]
