04/02/2026
West Africa: Further Crackdowns by Military Juntas
(Nairobi) ? Leaders in several West African countries increased crackdowns on freedoms as they strengthened their hold on power in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. In Nigeria and the Sahel, Islamist armed groups and government forces and their allies repeatedly attacked civilians and civilian infrastructure at a time when the Sahel juntas have expelled regional and international bodies and weakened institutions that provide accountability for abuses. ?Leaders of military juntas in the Sahel region ramped up efforts to stifle free speech and other freedoms with little regard for transitioning to promised democratic rule,? said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human...
