Leaders across several West African nations have significantly increased their suppression of civil liberties while consolidating their hold on power throughout 2025, according to the World Report 2026 released by Human Rights Watch.
In Nigeria and throughout the Sahel, Islamist insurgent groups, government militaries, and their affiliated partners have repeatedly targeted non-combatants and essential infrastructure. Simultaneously, military juntas in the Sahel have expelled international observers and weakened the institutions meant to ensure accountability for human rights violations.
“Military junta leaders in the Sahel region have escalated their attacks on free speech and other basic rights, showing little regard for their promised returns to democratic governance,” noted Mausi Segun, the Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “More robust regional efforts are required to pressure West African authorities to restore political openness and safeguard the rights of their citizens.“
In the 36th edition of its 529-page World Report, Human Rights Watch evaluates human rights conditions in over 100 countries. In the opening essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion argues that resisting the rising tide of authoritarianism worldwide is the defining struggle of this generation. With global human rights protections facing unprecedented threats from the Trump administration and other major powers, Bolopion calls for a strategic alliance between civil society and rights-respecting democracies to defend fundamental liberties.
- In Niger and Mali, authorities have suggested pushing back democratic transitions by five years and have banned political party activities. Meanwhile, Chad has eliminated limits on presidential terms.
- Governments have continued to stifle the media, dissent, and free expression. In Burkina Faso and Mali, journalists, activists, and critics of the juntas have faced arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, or forced conscription. In Nigeria, officials have used broad interpretations of cybercrime laws to prosecute social media users and reporters. Former Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum remains in arbitrary detention without a trial, while Chadian opposition leader Succès Masra was sentenced to 20 years in prison on politically motivated charges.
- Two major Islamist groups, the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS) and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), carried out mass killings of civilians in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Conversely, the Malian army, the Burkina Faso military, pro-government militias, and the Russian-linked Wagner group—now operating as “Africa Corps”—have been implicated in summary executions of Peuhl civilians.
- In Nigeria, a resurgence of the Boko Haram faction Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad led to fatal attacks in Borno State. In the northwest, criminal gangs continue to carry out violent raids, kidnappings, and murders as the government struggles to protect local communities or hold perpetrators accountable.
- Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso advanced their isolationist policies by finalizing their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and announcing plans to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), significantly hindering justice for victims of atrocities.
Human Rights Watch stated that the African Union and other international organizations must intensify their efforts to protect civilians from violence and human rights abuses.