In a statement sent to AFP, Isatou Touray said she was dropping out of the contest “so as to offer my unflinching support and cooperation to the coalition” of opposition parties which last month picked businessman Adama Barrow to represent them in the December 1 election. The Gambia’s first ever female presidential candidate has withdrawn … Read more
Nigeria has launched an investigation into reports alleging that government officials raped and sexually abused women and girls who survived Boko Haram violence. The move comes after Human Rights Watch published a report detailing accounts by dozens of women and girls who said they were sexually abused or coerced into sex. The women said they … Read more
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I … Read more
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at camps where women and children are taking refuge from militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Mr Buhari’s office said he was shocked by the allegations, made in a report released by campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW), and had instructed the police … Read more
Buhari orders probe of sexual and rights abuses in IDPs camps A 17-year-old girl has told of how a policeman raped her and put her in the family way at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the Northeast. She told Human Rights Watch (HRW): “One day he demanded to have sex with me. I … Read more
Women and girls in several camps in the Nigerian town of Maiduguri are being sexually abused by officials, a rights group says. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had spoken to 43 victims who had been raped or sexually exploited by vigilante groups and security officials. The president has ordered an investigation into the alleged … Read more
Russia’s seat on the UN Human Rights Council is under threat due to its support of the Syrian government’s air campaign in Aleppo. More than 80 human rights and aid organisations, including Human Rights Watch, CARE International and Refugees International, have urged UN member states to drop Russia from the Human Rights Council over its … Read more
Ethiopia has imposed severe regulations under a new six-month “state of emergency” as it faces unprecedented levels of unrest across the country, a first in the government’s 25-year rule. The government says the state of emergency was put in place to prevent further loss of life and property, but many activists worry the new rules … Read more
South Africa has formally begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), media reports say. They say diplomats have notified the UN of the move, accusing the ICC of bias against African countries. Last year, South Africa refused to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the ICC on charges … Read more
The Saudi-led coalition bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen has said it attacked a funeral hall in the capital, Sanaa, based on “bad information”. At least 140 people were killed, most of them civilians, in the attack on 8 October – one of the single worst death tolls in the two-year conflict. An inquiry blames “non-compliance … Read more
People close to the activist, Illuminée Iragena, have not seen her since March 26, 2016 A Rwandan opposition activist has been missing for six months and is feared to have been forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch said today. People close to the activist, Illuminée Iragena, have not seen her since March 26, 2016, and fear … Read more
Nairobi (AFP) – As Kenya prepares to close the world’s largest refugee camp, a rights watchdog said the repatriation of Somalis from the sprawling Dadaab camp is based on misinformation and violates international standards. Human Rights Watch, which interviewed scores of people in the vast camp last month, said Thursday that many Somalis are returning … Read more
A political crisis of longstanding duration has been brought to the world’s attention by the actions of a competitor at the recently concluded Olympic Games. Marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa’s gesture of raising his arms aloft in the form of a cross as he was about to confirm his silver-medal position was a politically-motivated one intended … Read more
The United Nations Security Council has insisted the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hold presidential elections per the constitution after the country was rocked by deadly violence. The international body also called for calm in a statement on Wednesday which urges all parties to settle their disputes peacefully. “The Security Council stresses the crucial importance … Read more
A UK activist who campaigned for the rights of migrant workers in Thailand’s fruit industry has been found guilty of defamation and computer crimes. Andy Hall, from Lincolnshire, was given a three-year suspended jail term and fined 150,000 baht ($4,300; £3,300). Hall had contributed to a report by a Finnish watchdog, Finnwatch, in 2013 alleging … Read more
An Egyptian court on Saturday upheld a decision to freeze the assets of several prominent human rights campaigners in the latest blow to a once-vibrant activist community that has been largely silenced by a government crackdown. The five activists named in the court ruling include Gamal Eid and investigative reporter Hossam Bahgat, also the founder … Read more
The repatriation of Somali refugees from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya fails to meet international standards for voluntary return, a Human Rights Watch Report has found. The organisation says many of those returning to Somalia are motivated by fear of being forced out. Tens of thousands of refugees have been making the journey back … Read more
Kopila Wosti was just 14 when her father married her off to a stranger who was five years older. A year later, she gave birth to a baby girl. By the time she was 20, she had three children. “The first time I became pregnant, I was not even aware I was going to be … Read more
At least 23 inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said. A government statement says 21 died of suffocation after a stampede while two others were killed as they tried to escape. Some local media have disputed the account, citing unnamed witnesses … Read more
A leader and major financial backer of the biggest Islamist party in Bangladesh has been executed for war crimes in 1971, officials say. Media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali, 63, of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was sentenced to death two years ago. He had been convicted of offences including murder and torture committed during the war with … Read more