Forced disappearances in west africa: how military regimes silence dissent

Across several West African nations, military regimes are increasingly deploying forced disappearances and illegal detentions as tools to suppress dissent. According to recent findings, authorities in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger are systematically targeting critics, including activists, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders, to consolidate power and eliminate opposition voices.

In Guinea, two prominent activists from the Front National pour la Défense de la Constitution—Mamadou Billo Bah and Oumar Sylla (also known as Foniké Menguè)—were abducted from Oumar Sylla’s home just before a major protest against rising living costs and the demand for a return to civilian rule. Eyewitness accounts, including that of Mohamed Cissé—another detained activist released two days later with severe injuries—suggest the two were taken to a secret detention facility on the Loos Islands, off the coast of Conakry. Despite mounting evidence, authorities continue to deny their detention, leaving their fate uncertain.

Once removed from public view, victims of forced disappearances face unimaginable risks, with little hope of recourse.

Silencing civil society through fear

Military-led governments in West Africa are systematically using forced disappearances and unlawful detentions to terrorize civil society. Journalists, judges, lawyers, activists, and human rights defenders are frequently abducted in broad daylight—on streets, at home, or in the workplace—by armed individuals, often in plainclothes. Victims are typically blindfolded, forced into unmarked vehicles, and held in undisclosed locations for days, weeks, or even longer. These detentions occur outside any legal framework, with no arrest warrants issued and no official acknowledgment of their whereabouts.

The goal is clear: instill fear and stifle opposition. Families and legal representatives of the disappeared are left in the dark, sometimes learning only belatedly that their loved ones were held in informal detention centers, such as security service offices. The lack of transparency and accountability creates a climate of terror, ensuring that few dare to challenge the regime’s authority.

Cases of enforced disappearances continue to mount

A growing list of individuals has fallen victim to this brutal tactic. In Burkina Faso, Guy Hervé Kam, a lawyer and co-founder of the Balai Citoyen movement, was unlawfully detained for five months in 2024. In March 2025, five other members of the Sens movement—who had publicly condemned civilian massacres in conflict zones—were abducted by armed men in civilian clothing, reportedly linked to security forces. Despite urgent appeals from the movement, authorities remain silent on their whereabouts. Earlier, in mid-2024, four journalists—Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala, Kalifara Séré, and Alain Traoré (nicknamed “Alain Alain”)—were forcibly taken. By October 2024, three had been conscripted into the military under a general mobilization decree, while the fourth remains missing to this day.

In Niger, journalist and blogger Samira Sabou vanished for a week in September 2023 after being arrested at her home. Similarly, Moussa Tchangari, Secretary-General of Alternatives Espaces Citoyens, was secretly detained; his lawyers only learned his location two days later, following a transfer to police custody.

Mali has also seen its share of abductions. Ibrahim Nabi Togola, leader of the opposition party Nouvelle Vision pour le Mali, was seized in December 2024 by suspected state security agents and held for 45 days before his release. In Guinea, journalist Habib Marouane Camara was abducted on December 3, 2024, by armed men identified by witnesses as gendarmes. His family has had no contact with him since.

Many victims of forced disappearances are later transferred to police custody, where sham legal proceedings are initiated against them.

Justice as a bulwark against authoritarianism

In some cases, victims of forced disappearances are eventually handed over to police, only to face fabricated charges. In Burkina Faso, the situation is even more alarming: detained activists and journalists have been forcibly recruited into the military, sometimes deployed to frontline combat zones. This was the fate of Guézouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, president and vice-president of the Association des journalistes du Burkina Faso, who had criticized escalating press freedom violations. Similarly, journalist Luc Pagbelguem of private channel BF1 faced the same ordeal after amplifying these concerns. Their families received no news for a week after their March 24, 2025 arrests—until a video surfaced showing them in military uniforms.

Sustained international support for judicial independence is crucial to countering these abuses and protecting human rights.

Human rights organizations continue to urge authorities in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger to halt these illegal practices and release all unlawfully detained individuals. The judiciary, too, must play a pivotal role in investigating forced disappearances, ending arbitrary detentions, and safeguarding civil liberties.

Some judges and lawyers have already taken a stand. In Burkina Faso, magistrates secured the immediate release of lawyer Guy Hervé Kam. In Guinea, the bar association boycotted court sessions for days, demanding the release of Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah. Courts in Mali and Niger have also ruled against unlawful detentions, though such rulings have drawn retaliation. In Burkina Faso alone, at least five judges were forcibly conscripted into the military in 2024 after presiding over cases involving authorities or their allies.

Despite these pressures, the judiciary must remain steadfast in upholding the rule of law. Strengthening international support for justice systems in these countries is essential—not only to protect those still missing but also to preserve the very foundations of democracy and human dignity.