INTER-SESSION ACTIVITY REPORT
(May – October 2025)
Presented by
HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER IDRISSA SOW
CHAIRPERSON OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE DEATH PENALTY, EXTRA-JUDICIAL, SUMMARY OR ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS AND ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES IN AFRICA
85th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR
Banjul, The Gambia – 7 to 30 October 2025
INTRODUCTION
1. This Report is submitted in accordance with Rules 25 (3) and 64 of the Rules of Procedure of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commission) and Section 3 (d) of the Rules Governing the Establishment and Functioning of the Special Mechanisms of the Commission. It covers activities carried out during the intersession period from May to October 2025.
2. The report comprises four sections: Section I presents an overview of the situation regarding death penalty, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances in Africa. Section II covers the activities carried out in my capacity as Chairperson of the Working Group on the Death Penalty, Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions and Enforced Disappearances in Africa (Working Group) and as a member of other special mechanisms; Section III covers the activities carried out in my capacity as Commissioner and Country Rapporteur; and Section IV is devoted to conclusions and recommendations.
Section I: Situation regarding death penalty, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances in Africa
A. Death penalty
3. During the period under review, the situation regarding the death penalty in Africa remained unchanged. Of the 54 States Parties to the Charter, 26 have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 3 have done so for ordinary crimes, while 17 others maintain a moratorium on executions.
4. These figures indicate that the African continent is following a predominantly abolitionist trend.
5. Indeed, the vast majority of African States have now abolished the death penalty in law or in practice, meaning that executions are rare, except in a very small minority of States.
6. The Commission has often expressed concern about the fairness of proceedings leading to convictions in many “retentionist” States. And while it is true that executions are now carried out in only a very small number of States, serious concerns remain as to the extent to which the continued existence of the death penalty violates the prohibition of torture and other cruel or inhuman treatment.
7. It is also important to note that today, some of the most significant challenges relate to the continued application of the death penalty for offences that do not meet the threshold of “the most serious crimes,” and that are sometimes applied mandatorily, in blatant violation of the norms and principles relating to the protection of the right to life.
8. The Commission has previously emphasized that “international law requires States that have not yet abolished the death penalty to take steps towards its abolition in order to guarantee the rights to life and dignity, as well as other rights such as the right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
9. For several years, many States have established moratoriums on the death penalty, marking a suspension often seen as a step toward its definitive abolition. However, these moratoriums remain fragile. In some countries, attempts to challenge them have emerged, driven by populist or security-focused political rhetoric. In the face of rising crime, terrorism, or social crises, some leaders invoke the need to restore exemplary and deterrent justice. These calls reflect a persistent tension between the desire to uphold universal human rights and the pressure of public opinion, which is sometimes in favour of reinstating capital executions. Thus, the death penalty — far from being a settled debate — continues to reveal the contradictions between justice, collective emotion, and democratic principles.
10. In this regard, the concerns we expressed in our previous reports about the consequences of lifting the moratorium on the execution of the death penalty in the DRC remain unchanged. Indeed, the number of death sentences remains high.
11. On behalf of the Working Group, we reiterate our call for a return to the policy of maintaining the moratorium on executions of the death penalty, which had been in force in the country since 2003 prior to its lifting.
12. In fulfilling its specific mandate to protect and promote the right to life, the Working Group remains firmly committed to engaging with all States Parties and continues to advocate that States which still retain the death penalty consider establishing or strengthening strict moratoria on executions and take steps to commute existing death sentences.
13. With respect to States that have chosen to retain the death penalty in their legislation, we recall that through its General Comment No. 3 on the right to life (Article 4 of the Charter), the Commission has clearly stated that the death penalty should be imposed only for the most serious crimes.
Study on the Issue of the Death Penalty
14. In November 2011, the Commission adopted a study on the situation of the death penalty in Africa. This reference document has, in some respects, become outdated and requires updating to reflect developments and address new issues that have emerged since its adoption. Accordingly, the Commission decided, some years ago, to undertake its revision. The work initiated to this effect, in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria, is currently being finalised. On 3 July 2025, the Working Group held a consultative meeting on the second draft of the study. We intend to finalise the draft study before the end of this year. In this regard, our Working Group remains open to receiving contributions from various actors and stakeholders, in order to further broaden the perspectives and information contained in this document.
Draft Protocol to the African Charter on the abolition of the death penalty
15. The efforts undertaken to achieve a consensual convergence around the draft protocol continue to receive favourable responses from several States. This is further reinforced by the considerable support provided by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), which, through a resolution adopted on 5 July 2024, expressed its commitment to work with the Commission and all other stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of the draft protocol by the policy organs of the African Union.
16. We are still awaiting its inclusion on the agenda of the Specialized Technical Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. We take this opportunity to call upon the States Parties to the African Charter to support the prompt adoption of the draft instrument.
17. I issued a statement on the World Day Against the Death Penalty, observed on 10 October 2025. In it, we recalled that both the ineffectiveness and the potentially arbitrary and discriminatory nature of the death penalty have been repeatedly demonstrated over the years. We also called on States to intensify their efforts to build a world in which justice never sacrifices human life, through the total abolition of the death penalty, the commutation of existing death sentences to life imprisonment, and the observance of strict moratoria. Finally, we called on the States Parties to the African Charter, the organs of the African Union, national human rights institutions, and civil society organizations to join efforts in supporting the process of adoption and ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Abolition of the Death Penalty.
B. Enforced disappearances
18. Of the 54 African countries, 21 have ratified or acceded to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. We urge those States that have not yet ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to do so.
19. The issue of enforced disappearances remains a central concern in the context of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ overall mandate to promote and protect human rights.
20. Accordingly, opportunities presented by the consideration of periodic reports and promotion missions are used to encourage States Parties to adopt specific legislation for the prevention and punishment of the crime of enforced disappearance.
21. We note with deep concern that numerous reports have been received regarding cases of enforced disappearance in several countries.
22. Monthly reports of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) indicate that 49 individuals were victims of abduction in June 2025.
23. In Burkina Faso, three human rights defenders – namely Madou Sawadogo, also known as “Le Tche,” and Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé, both members of Le Balai Citoyen, who disappeared on 21 and 30 March 2025 respectively, as well as Boukary Sidibé, who was abducted during the first week of April 2025 – remain missing to date.
24. Similarly, five members of the movement Servir et Non Se Servir who were abducted between 18 and 22 March 2025, namely journalist Idrissa Barry; Mr Anselme Sawadogo, representative of Wallonie-Bruxelles in Burkina Faso; Dr Richard Koalga, physician at the Tenkodogo University Hospital; Ms Judith Tiendrebeogo, an employee of an embassy in Ouagadougou; and Ms Laurentine Ye, a businesswoman, are also still missing.
25. Reports received by the Working Group indicate that journalists James Yazid Dembélé, Kalifara Séré, Luc Pagbelguem, and Boukari Ouoba reappeared and were reunited with their families in July 2025. They had been abducted and subsequently conscripted into the army.
26. We were also informed of the release of Benoit Bassolé after nearly eleven months of disappearance. A nephew of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Djibril Bassolé, he had been arrested on 11 September 2024, along with the Minister’s children and relatives, by men in civilian clothing. Reports received indicate that Yasmine Bassolé, the Minister’s daughter, her cousin Nicodème Bassolé, and his aide-de-camp Omar Zalla are still being held incommunicado, without contact with their families.
27. In the Republic of Guinea, Mamadou Billo Bah and Foniké Menguè have not been seen since 9 July 2024. The urgent appeal letter we sent to the Guinean authorities, requesting impartial and credible investigations into their disappearance, has not yet elicited an official reply. Journalist Habib Marouane Camara has also been reported missing since 3 December 2024.
28. Between January 2024 and May 2025, Burundian civil society organizations documented 58 cases of enforced disappearance in the country. The disappearances have been attributed to the security forces and the Imbonerakure militia.
29. Without taking a position on the veracity of the alleged facts, the Working Group remains seized of these reported cases and reiterates its call on the governments of the concerned States Parties to conduct impartial investigations to determine the causes, undertake appropriate search efforts to locate the victims, and, where applicable, provide reparations to the affected families.
30. We urge the governments of the concerned States to respect at all times the rights of refugees and human rights defenders, to ensure an environment conducive to their legitimate work in the promotion and protection of rights, and to put an end to all forms of pressure or reprisals against them.
C. Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings
31. The Working Group notes with concern that allegations of extrajudicial executions were reported during the period under review in Burkina Faso, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, and Burundi.
32. At this stage, the Working Group does not draw any conclusions regarding the veracity of the alleged facts but remains seized of the cases brought to its attention until the extent of information available allows it to adopt a definitive position. Several initiatives have been undertaken within the framework of interactions with the States concerned to shed light on these allegations.
Study on Extrajudicial Executions
33. The Working Group, in collaboration with the Institute for Human Rights and Peace of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, has launched a study to assess the scope and consequences of extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions on the continent. A study inception meeting was held in November 2024. In accordance with Resolution ACHPR/Res.622 (LXXXII) 2025 of March 2025, arrangements have been made to finalise the draft study during the first quarter of 2026.
Section II: Activities undertaken in my capacity as Commissioner and Chairperson of the Working Group
Participation in the Sessions of the Commission and other activities
34. I participated in the 83rd Ordinary Session held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 2 to 22 May 2025, and in the 84th Ordinary Session, held virtually from 21 to 30 July 2025, during which the Commission adopted several documents, considered reports, and rendered decisions on various Communications.
35. From 29 to 30 August 2025, the Working Group took part in the commemorations of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, during which African initiatives and developments in the fight against the crime of enforced disappearance were presented. I take this opportunity afforded by the presentation of this report to reaffirm my solemn commitment to support any initiative by African civil society aimed at more effectively combating the phenomenon of enforced disappearances on our continent.
Letters of Urgent Appeal
36. On 12 May 2025, I co-signed an Urgent Appeal Letter to H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan following allegations of multiple human rights violations during the pre-electoral period, including the enforced disappearance of Mr. Mpaluka Mdude Nyagali, a Tanzanian human rights and political activist who was abducted from his home in Mbeya. We requested the Tanzanian authorities to conduct investigations with a view to locating and securing the release of Mr. Mpaluka Mdude Nyagali, and to identify those responsible for the reported assaults.
37. On 15 September 2025, I co-signed an Urgent Appeal Letter to H.E. João Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, concerning the use of force, killings, arrests, and arbitrary detentions that occurred during the July 2025 demonstrations. Among other requests, we called on the Government of Angola to conduct an investigation into the killings and injuries that occurred during the demonstrations, with particular attention to the allegations of extrajudicial executions.
38. On 3 October 2025, I co-signed an Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to H.E. Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby, President of the Republic of Chad, concerning the revocation of nationality of Mr. Charfadine Galmaye Saleh and Mr. N’Guebla Makaïla, activists and human rights defenders in Chad. Among other requests, we urged the Government of Chad to suspend any measure that could result in the statelessness of the two activists, to guarantee their rights to defence and to an effective remedy, and to refrain from using deprivation of nationality as a sanction linked to the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and human rights advocacy.
39. On 10 October 2025, I signed an Urgent Appeal Letter to H.E. Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic, concerning the death of Mr. Gbiamba Ordin while in detention at the Landja Mboko gendarmerie in Bangui. Among other requests, we called for prompt, impartial, and independent judicial investigations to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.
40. On 14 October 2025, I co-signed an Urgent Appeal Letter to H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, concerning the abduction on 1 October 2025 of Mr. Bob Njagi and Mr. Nicholas Oyoo, two human rights defenders, in Kampala, Uganda, by masked, uniformed, and armed men. The abduction of the two activists appears to be linked to their involvement in a publicity campaign in support of Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, an opposition figure in Uganda. We requested the Ugandan authorities to promptly investigate the whereabouts of the two activists and to provide information on their place of detention.
41. We regret that, to date, our communications have not elicited any official response from the authorities concerned.
42. We also regret the absence of any response to the Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 18 November 2024, following allegations of the enforced disappearance of Jacques Sinzahera and Gloire Saasita, two human rights defenders.
43. Also without response is the Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to the Republic of Guinea on 31 January 2025, concerning the enforced disappearance of journalist Habib Marouane Camara, Director of the news website Le Révélateur 24, who has not reappeared since his abduction on 3 December 2024.
44. The Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to H.E. Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby, President of the Republic of Chad, on 3 February 2025, following allegations of executions and arbitrary arrests of demonstrators in Laramanaye on 14 January 2025, has likewise not been responded to. The same applies to the Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to H.E. General Assimi Goïta, President of the Transition of the Republic of Mali, concerning, inter alia, the enforced disappearance of Mr. Daouda Magassa; and to the Urgent Appeal Letter of 2 April 2025, co-signed with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, addressed to H.E. Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of the Transition of Burkina Faso, regarding allegations of the abduction of journalists Guézouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba.
45. The Urgent Appeal Letter addressed to H.E. Captain Ibrahim Traoré, President of the Transition of the Republic of Burkina Faso, on 14 March 2025, following the massacre of hundreds of civilians in the locality of Solenzo on 10 and 11 March 2025, has also not elicited any response.
Letters of concern
46. On 17 October 2025, I sent a Letter of Concern to Guinea regarding the abduction on 25 September 2025 of Mr. Elhadj Adama Keïta by Guinean security forces, in reprisal for the activities of his son, journalist Mamoudou Babila Keïta, who is now in exile. We urged the Government of Guinea to ensure that Mr. Elhadj Adama Keïta be allowed contact with his family and be guaranteed an independent and impartial judicial process.
47. On the same day, I sent a Letter of Concern to Burkina Faso regarding the disappearance, between 10 and 13 October 2025, of magistrates Urbain Méda, Benoît Zoungrana, and Seydou Sanou, and journalists Ousseini Ilboudou and Michel Nana; and lawyer Arnaud Sampebrè. We urged the Government of Burkina Faso to take the necessary steps to provide clarifications on the situation of these individuals.
48. On the same day, I co-signed a Letter of Concern to Mozambique regarding allegations of extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances attributed to the defence and security forces against individuals attempting to leave the city of Mocímboa da Praia for security reasons. Among other requests, we called on Mozambique to investigate the allegations in order to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable, and to engage in consultations with the local populations in the affected areas to understand the reasons compelling them to abandon their land.
Press releases
49. On 12 June 2025, I co-issued a press release condemning the death in detention of Mr. Albert Omondi Ojwang in the Republic of Kenya. We called on the Government of Kenya to establish an independent judicial commission of inquiry tasked with conducting a prompt, transparent, and impartial investigation into his death; to review the standards of conduct of law enforcement officers in their treatment of detainees and to institute monitoring and accountability systems concerning the treatment of persons detained by State agencies; to provide effective remedies and reparations to Mr. Ojwang’s family; and finally to adopt and implement concrete measures to prevent such cases of torture and violence in detention, including by strengthening police oversight mechanisms and accountability systems.
50. On 24 June 2025, I issued a press release on intercommunal violence in the Republic of Chad, which resulted in around sixty casualties and significant material damage. We called on stakeholders at all levels to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts among the impacted communities and urged the highest authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure respect for the right to life and physical integrity, as well as the right to property, and to address the root causes of such violence. We also called for the opening of a prompt and impartial investigation to shed light on these events and bring the perpetrators before the competent courts.
51. On 29 June 2025, I co-signed, together with the Country Rapporteur, a press release concerning the abduction and subsequent disappearance of 29 people in Kenya since June 2024, in connection with demonstrations in the country. Among other requests, we called on the Government of Kenya to conduct an independent investigation into all allegations of enforced disappearance and to hold the perpetrators accountable; to strengthen the independence and operational capacity of oversight bodies, including the Police Oversight Authority, judicial and human rights commissions, so as to ensure their ability to effectively prevent and address cases of abduction and enforced disappearance, in accordance with Article 26 of the African Charter.
52. I issued a joint press release with UN thematic organs on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August 2025. We called on all States to strengthen their policies for the prevention and eradication of this crime, and to guarantee the right of the relatives of disappeared persons, and of society as a whole, to know the truth about the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared, as well as to ensure access to justice and full reparations. We expressed our solidarity with all those affected by enforced disappearances and reaffirmed our commitment to truth, justice, rehabilitation, and reparations for all victims. Finally, we called on those States that have not yet ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to commit to doing so.
Section III – Activities Carried Out in My Capacity as Country Rapporteur
53. This section of the report addresses the human rights situation in the States within my portfolio, in my capacity as Commissioner Rapporteur.
54. In accordance with Resolution ACHPR/Res.495 (LXIX) 2021, as amended during the 77th Ordinary Session, I was designated as Country Rapporteur for Burkina Faso, Republic of Guinea, Central African Republic, Chad, and Union of the Comoros.
A. Burkina Faso
55. Burkina Faso continues to face security challenges. Despite the efforts made by the Burkinabè authorities to protect the civilian population, terrorist attacks continue to disrupt daily life in the affected areas, causing numerous casualties and significant material damage.
56. During the period covered by this report, terrorist attacks were carried out in numerous localities across the country. Thus, several dozen soldiers and civilians were killed on 11 May 2025 in a jihadist attack in Djibo targeting the military detachment, police stations, and gendarmerie posts.
57. Reports also indicate attacks on Fulani villages by government forces and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland. In this regard, we note that the exact circumstances of the massacre of civilians between 2004 and 2025, particularly in the localities of Barsalogho and Solenzo have not yet been clarified. We await the findings of the investigations announced by the Government of Burkina Faso following these tragic events. The Commission remains seized of the situation, with the hope that appropriate measures taken by the authorities of the country will help shed light on these grave events and ensure better protection of civilians, who are also exposed to abuses by terrorist groups.
58. We have also been seized of cases of livestock confiscation belonging to herders. It has also been brought to our attention that since April 2025, several thousand head of cattle have been stolen in various parts of the country and resold in neighbouring countries, notably Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.
59. We call for the opening of an impartial investigation into these attacks and all other human rights violations against civilians, with a view to identifying and bringing the alleged perpetrators and their accomplices to justice. We also call on Burkina Faso’s neighbouring countries to take appropriate measures to put an end to the cross-border trafficking of stolen livestock.
60. During the reporting period, we learned of the release of journalists Kalifara Séré, James Yazid Dembélé, Luc Pagbelguem, Boukari Ouoba, Alain Traoré, Adama Bayala, Guezouma Sanogo and Phil Roland Zongo; as well as of Amadou Sawadogo, Rasmane Zinaba and Bassirou Badjo of the Balai Citoyen movement, who had been abducted and forcibly conscripted during territorial security operations. However, journalists Serge Oulon and Idrissa Barry, as well as Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé, a member of the Balai Citoyen movement, who were abducted in June 2024 and March 2025 respectively, have still not been released.
61. We are concerned about the abduction of journalists Ousséni Ilboudo and Michel Nana on 13 October 2025; lawyers Ini Benjamine Esther Doli and Arnaud Sampebré on 1 September and 13 October 2025 respectively; magistrates Urbain Méda, Seydou Sanou and Benoît Zoungrana on 10 and 11 October 2025; and former Member of Parliament Adja Zoungrana on 13 September 2025. We urge the Government of Faso to ensure that the requisitioning of citizens, in accordance with the Decree on General Mobilisation and Warning, is not selective, and that it is carried out in full compliance with relevant standards and in respect of the fundamental rights of those requisitioned.
B. Guinea
62. The Republic of Guinea went through an unconstitutional change of government on 5 September 2021. A referendum on the Constitution, boycotted by the opposition, was held on 21 September 2025. According to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, the new draft Constitution was approved by 89% of voters, with a turnout of 86.42%. Presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for 28 December 2025.
63. We call for inclusive, credible, and transparent elections to ensure a return to constitutional order.
64. During the period under review, restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly continued, with five media outlets under suspension, while access restrictions to social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp) and the jamming of private radio stations have been observed since November 2024.
65. On 22 August 2025, the Guinean authorities suspended the activities of three political parties for 90 days, including the organization of meetings, demonstrations, or propaganda campaigns. This decision came five months after the suspension of 28 political parties.
66. Information received also indicates the systematic prohibition of demonstrations organized by the opposition and civil society since 13 May 2022, as well as the repression of unauthorised demonstrations, resulting in the deaths of at least 59 protesters since 2022, including 20 in 2024.
67. We restate that freedom of expression is essential to the exercise of other human rights and constitutes a hallmark of pluralist democracy, enabling development and diversity.
68. We reiterate the concern expressed in the Urgent Appeal Letters addressed to the transitional authorities following the alarming disappearance of Mamadou Billo Bah and Foninké Mengué in July 2024, journalist Habib Marouane Camara in December 2024, and Mr. Sadou Nimaga in October 2024.
69. We also reiterate our call on the Government of the Republic of Guinea to undertake search efforts and investigations with a view to locating these individuals, who were reportedly abducted by armed men.
C. Central African Republic
70. Six years after the political agreement between the government and armed groups (some of which later withdrew from the accord), the armed conflict continues in certain parts of the country, resulting in human rights violations. During the second quarter of 2025, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) documented 790 human rights violations, abuses, and breaches of international humanitarian law, affecting 1,162 civilian victims (including 788 men, 141 women, 117 boys, 63 girls, and 53 groups of collective victims). The most common violations and abuses were related to the right to physical and mental integrity (23%), the right to property (22%), and deprivation of liberty and conditions of detention (21%).
71. Through its Resolution 2759 (2024), the Security Council extended the mandate of MINUSCA until 15 November 2025. We call on the Security Council to further extend MINUSCA’s mandate, in order to continue assisting the government in ensuring the security of the population and their property.
72. The regional and local elections, initially scheduled for October 2024, were first postponed to 6 April 2025 and then to August 2025. The government recently announced that municipal, legislative, and presidential elections will be held on 28 December 2025. The postponement is reportedly due to security constraints, the need to mobilize the financial resources required to organize the elections, and technical difficulties in publishing the final electoral roll. Given the importance of these elections in the ongoing process of institutional stabilization, we call on all stakeholders to support the common fund established to finance the electoral process.
D. Chad
73. On 3 October 2025, the Chadian Parliament, dominated by the Patriotic Salvation Movement, the ruling party, amended the country’s new Constitution, which had been adopted by referendum in December 2023. The constitutional law was promulgated by the Chadian President on 8 October. The amendment introduced a seven-year presidential term and removed the limit on the number of presidential mandates. It also extended the term of office of members of parliament from five to six years.
74. In May 2025, violence that erupted in Mandékao, a sub-prefecture of Beinamar in the province of Logone Occidental, between herders and local residents, resulted in at least 41 deaths, the majority of whom were children. The clashes are reportedly linked to a grazing area that has been gradually converted into farmland by local communities, a situation not well received by herders, who fear the disappearance of grazing spaces for their livestock.
75. The Public Prosecutor at the High Court of Moundou stated that “more than 80 individuals identified as perpetrators, co-perpetrators or accomplices are currently in detention for the purposes of the investigation.”
76. Following this tragic event, former Prime Minister Succès Masra was arrested on 16 May 2025, accused of having made remarks in an audio message that allegedly sparked the inter-ethnic clashes between local residents and nomadic herders. On 9 August 2025, he was found guilty of “disseminating hate speech and xenophobic messages” and of “complicity in murder,” and was sentenced at first instance to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 1.666 million US dollars.
77. Communal clashes also occurred in the Ouaddaï province, in the east of the country near the border with Sudan, leaving 20 people dead and 16 injured.
78. We call on the authorities to prosecute the perpetrators and to address the root causes of such conflicts in order to prevent their recurrence.
79. We are concerned about allegations of torture inflicted on activist Mahamat Souleymane Irégué following his arrest on 27 August 2025 by agents of the National State Security Agency.
80. Journalists Ndilyam Guekidata, editor-in-chief of Le Pays newspaper and RFI correspondent in Chad, Olivier Mbaindinguim Monodji, editor at Le Pays, and Mahamat Alhissein of Télé Tchad, who had been charged on 10 March 2025 with “collusion with the enemy, attack against state institutions and conspiracy” and placed in pre-trial detention, were acquitted by the N'Djamena High Court on 8 July 2025.
81. We note that the international investigation announced into the tragic events of 20 October 2022, which left more than 200 people dead during a public demonstration, has not yet been launched.
82. We also call on the Government of Chad to launch an impartial investigation to fully clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Yaya Dillo, a political leader who was killed on 28 February 2024 during the assault on his party’s headquarters.
83. We reiterate our call on the Chadian authorities to shed light on the allegations of arbitrary executions and arrests of demonstrators in Laramanaye on 14 January 2025, and to release those detained for their participation in the demonstrations.
E. Union of the Comoros
84. The report of the first promotion mission carried out in the country from 16 to 20 September 2024 was transmitted to the Comorian Government on 17 March for any comments prior to its publication. Upon expiry of the sixty-day period for the country to submit its observations, the report was published on the Commission’s website.
85. We reiterate our call on the national authorities to promptly fulfil their commitment to submit the initial report of the Union of the Comoros, in accordance with the obligations arising under Article 62 of the African Charter.
Section IV: Conclusions and recommendations
86. The Commission continues to engage with Member States, organs of the African Union, and partners, including civil society and the academic community. In collaboration with these partners, it will continue to promote the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the Charter on the Abolition of the Death Penalty, contribute to building a knowledge base through studies, and engage in advocacy and political dialogue on the issue of the death penalty, as well as on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances in Africa.
87. The Commission has already adopted Guidelines on Enforced Disappearances in Africa, which it intends to continue disseminating. In the same vein, a revised study on the death penalty and a study on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions are underway, with the aim of providing stakeholders and decision-makers with a tool for advocacy and informed decision-making in these areas.
88. To sustain this momentum, the Working Group makes the following recommendations:
To States Parties:
a. In States where the death penalty still exists:
i. Observe a moratorium on the application of the death penalty, in accordance with Resolution ACHPR/Res.42(XXVI)99;
ii. Suspend the execution of prisoners sentenced to death and commute their sentences to lesser penalties.
b. Support and participate in efforts aimed at the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on the Abolition of the Death Penalty;
c. Take measures to ensure the dissemination and effective implementation of the Guidelines for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in Africa and other applicable instruments aimed at guaranteeing the full protection of the right to life;
To the African Union:
d. Promote consultations with Member States, regional organizations and mechanisms for the abolition of the death penalty;
e. Monitor and support the process for the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the Charter on the Death Penalty;
f. Continue to support the Central African Republic in its efforts to restore security throughout the national territory;
To National Human Rights Institutions and Civil Society Organizations:
g. Intensify national-level advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty, as well as for the prevention of and response to extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances in Africa;
h. Inform the Working Group of any violations of the right to life.
To other development partners:
i. Provide support to the Working Group to enable the latter to effectively implement its mandate;
j. Provide technical and financial support to States Parties, NHRIs and CSOs in their activities, programmes, projects and policies aimed at combating extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and enforced disappearances, as well as in criminal justice reform processes aimed at abolishing the death penalty;
To Civil Society Organizations (CSO)
k. Continue their advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty in Africa;
l. Collect, verify, and regularly publish reliable data on cases of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, as well as on enforced disappearances;
m. Develop strategies and action plans to raise public awareness in Africa about the death penalty, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and enforced disappearances across the continent.
