Forced disappearances as a tool of repression in west african military regimes
Military regimes in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger are systematically silencing dissent through forced disappearances and illegal detentions, as documented in recent human rights reports. These tactics, employed against critics of ruling authorities, have escalated into a widespread pattern of state-sanctioned repression.
Since July 9, 2024, two prominent Guinean activists—Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla (known as “Foniké Menguè”)—have been forcibly disappeared. Both were abducted from Sylla’s home just before a major protest against rising living costs and the demand for a return to civilian rule. According to Mohamed Cissé, a fellow activist arrested alongside them and later released with severe injuries, the two were taken to a secret detention site in the Loos Islands archipelago near Conakry. Authorities continue to deny their detention, leaving their fate uncertain.
spreading fear through arbitrary abductions
Civil society members opposing military rule in West Africa face targeted abductions by security forces. Journalists, lawyers, judges, activists, and human rights defenders are routinely snatched from public spaces, homes, or workplaces by armed assailants—sometimes posing as state officials. Victims are often blindfolded, forced into unmarked vehicles, and held in informal detention centers, such as security service offices, without legal warrants or due process. Interrogations can last weeks or months, with families and legal representatives left in the dark. This systematic abuse is designed not just to punish individuals but to instill widespread fear across civil society.
an ever-growing list of victims
In Burkina Faso, lawyer and co-founder of the Balai Citoyen movement Guy Hervé Kam was illegally detained for five months in 2024. In March 2025, five other leaders of the Sens movement—who had publicly condemned civilian massacres linked to the armed conflict—were abducted by armed men in civilian clothing, allegedly linked to security forces. Authorities have remained silent despite repeated appeals from civil society. Four journalists—Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala, Kalifara Séré, and Alain Traoré—were abducted between June and July 2024. In October 2024, authorities announced that the first three had been forcibly conscripted into the military under a general mobilization decree, while Traoré’s whereabouts remain unknown.
In Niger, journalist Samira Sabou was held incommunicado for a week in September 2023 after her arrest at home. The legal team representing Moussa Tchangari, secretary-general of Alternatives Espaces Citoyens, only learned of his detention site two days after his arrest, when he was transferred to police custody.
In Mali, Ibrahim Nabi Togola, leader of the opposition party Nouvelle Vision pour le Mali, was abducted in December 2024 by suspected state security agents and held for 45 days before his release. In Guinea, journalist Habib Marouane Camara was taken on December 3, 2024, by armed men identified by witnesses as gendarmes; his family has had no news since.
justice under threat: upholding the rule of law
Many forced disappearances end with victims handed over to police to face fabricated charges. In Burkina Faso, some detainees have been forcibly conscripted into the military—sometimes sent to the front lines against armed groups. This occurred with Guézouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, president and vice-president of the Burkina Faso Journalists’ Association, who had publicly criticized press freedom violations, and journalist Luc Pagbelguem of private channel BF1, who amplified their criticism. Their families were left without news for a week after their March 24, 2025 arrest, until a video emerged showing them in military uniforms on social media.
International and domestic human rights organizations continue to demand an end to forced disappearances and illegal detentions in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The justice system, despite facing severe pressure—including the targeted conscription of at least five Burkinabè judges in 2024—remains a critical line of defense. In July 2024, the Guinean Bar Association boycotted court sessions for weeks, demanding the release of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah. Courts in Mali and Niger have also ruled against arbitrary detentions, though many magistrates have faced retaliation for their rulings. Sustained international support for judicial independence in these countries is essential to safeguard the rule of law and protect the lives of those still missing.
