AU Must Address Malian Junta's Crackdown on Enforced Disappearances

The Commission is urged to promptly investigate the enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of political figures by the Malian authorities.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights should take immediate steps to halt the Malian military junta's suppression of political opposition, civil society, and free expression, Human Rights Watch stated in a letter to African Union officials. The Commission is urged to promptly investigate the enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of political figures by the Malian authorities.

Mounting Repression Since 2021 Coup: Since seizing power in a 2021 coup, Mali's military rulers have dissolved political organizations, silenced dissent, and targeted opposition leaders. Notably:

• On February 5, 2025, Daouda Magassa, a CMAS member advocating for elections, was abducted in Bamako. According to reports from Radio France Internationale on February 11, he is detained at the National Agency for State Security (ANSE), though authorities remain silent.
• On December 28, 2024, Ibrahim Nabi Togola, head of the New Vision for Mali (NVPM), was beaten and abducted in Bamako. His whereabouts were unknown until February 10, 2025, despite family and legal inquiries.
• In June 2024, 12 members of the March 31 Declaration's Opposition Platform were arrested, with 11 still facing politically motivated charges.
• Despite a ruling from the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, three SADI party members remain in prison following their arrest in June 2023 for exposing military abuses.
• In November 2024, Issa Kaou N'Djim, a political commentator, was jailed for two years for criticizing military rulers in Burkina Faso on Joliba TV News, which was subsequently shut down.
• On January 2, 2025, opposition member Seydina Touré was arrested in Segou on charges including "incitement to public disorder."

Legal Obligations Ignored: Mali is a party to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and suppression of free expression starkly violates these commitments.

Call for Immediate Action: Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, urged the African Commission to request a fact-finding visit to Mali, highlighting the gravity of these abuses. "The Commission should directly engage the Malian authorities and demand the release of detained political figures and accountability for enforced disappearances," Ngari stated.

Human Rights Watch calls on the Malian authorities to immediately release those arbitrarily detained, cease intimidation of political opponents and activists, and uphold their human rights obligations under regional and international law.