Senegal’s newly elected president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, should make protecting and promoting human rights a priority during his presidency, both within Senegal and regionally, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the president made public today.

Human Rights Watch outlined five key recommendations to improve human rights in Senegal, urging Faye, during his term in office, to fight impunity for security forces’ abuse; promote and protect the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association; improve prison conditions; prioritize rights and saving lives when addressing irregular migration; and develop a foreign policy based on human rights. He should support rights-respecting democracies in West Africa and moves to strengthen the system of international justice.

“Faye has an important opportunity to create a rights-respecting administration that abides by the rule of law,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “He should commit to reforms that will safeguard and advance human rights in the years to come.”

Faye, 44, the youngest president in Senegal’s history, was sworn into office on April 2, 2024, following delayed elections, and less than two weeks after he was released from prison, where he was serving a sentence over a Facebook post. On the day he was sworn in, Faye appointed his key backer, Ousmane Sonko, as prime minister.

On February 3, former President Macky Sall announced that presidential elections, slated for February 25, would be delayed, citing an institutional crisis that he said could damage the election’s credibility. In January, Senegal’s constitutional council had decided to exclude several candidates, including Sonko, from the electoral race. Senegal’s parliament set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the council’s handling of the vetting process amid accusations of corruption against at least two of the council’s judges.

On February 6, Senegal’s parliament voted to delay the elections to December 15 after a chaotic National Assembly session during which security forces removed opposition lawmakers. This sparked violent protests in the capital, Dakar, and across the country on February 9 and 10, leading to the deaths of four people and the arrest of over 270 others.

On March 13, during a Council of Ministers meeting, following national and international pressure and a decision by Senegal’s constitutional court, Sall shortened the delay and announced that elections would be held on March 24.

The elections followed three years of political unrest, which included Sonko’s arrest in July 2023 and concerns that Sall would seek a third term despite constitutional term limits. The violence shook Senegal’s reputation as an example of a stable democracy in a region ravaged by military coups. Dozens were killed in the protests, and over 1,000 were arrested, including Faye.

Faye is the secretary general of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité, PASTEF) party, the main opposition group dissolved by the authorities in July 2023. He was arrested on April 14, 2023, following a Facebook message in which he criticized magistrates and was charged with “undermining state security” and fomenting insurrection, among others. Faye was released on March 14 after the National Assembly adopted an amnesty law on March 6.

“By taking bold steps to strengthen human rights protections, President Faye would turn the page on the last years of violence, abuse, and impunity,” Allegrozzi said. “The Senegalese people and the world will be watching his actions closely.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Sudan is one of the worst crises the world has seen for decades. There are extreme levels of suffering across the country, the needs are growing by the day, but the humanitarian response is deeply inadequate. We have responded to multiple mass casualty events and emergencies over the past year. We have performed life-saving surgical procedures, assisted women in giving birth – including with emergency C-sections – and treated children in our pediatric wards and inpatient therapeutic feeding centers, trying to save their lives. In refugee camps and locations hosting displaced people, we have improved water and sanitation conditions, run mobile clinics, and vaccinated children. But in many of the areas where we work, we are the sole humanitarian organisation there. Before the start of the war, there were dozens of international organizations responding across the country. Now, there are almost none. For a crisis of this scale, this is unfathomable and unacceptable, and it cannot be allowed to continue.

“There is no doubt that there are enormous challenges in Sudan, but they are not insurmountable. It is possible to respond – and we know this because we are there. A major issue is the systematic blockage of the delivery of humanitarian assistance that has been imposed by the Sudanese Armed Forces for the past six months. It means that we cannot send medical supplies or personnel across the frontlines into areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces and recently we have seen increasing attempts to block humanitarian supplies and staff crossing from neighboring countries into Sudan. Many of our facilities are perilously low on supplies – in the Turkish Hospital in Khartoum, for example, we have just 20 percent of our stock remaining. We have already run out of artesunate, which is vital for treating malaria. The blockade amounts to a deliberate obstruction of the provision of humanitarian assistance and it is having a devastating impact on the lives of millions of people across the country. Only 20 to 30 percent of health facilities remain functional in Sudan as it is. Without supplies reaching these facilities, people’s ability to get treatment when needed is becoming even more limited.

“Patients are dying due to violence-related injuries and preventable illnesses, children are perishing due to malnutrition. Vaccines are running out, and there have already been outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera and measles. One example is the catastrophic nutrition crisis in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, where there have been no food distributions from WFP since May 2023. 25 percent of children we screened there in a rapid assessment in January were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition – seven percent were severe cases. 40 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women were suffering from malnutrition, and there was a devastating mortality rate across the camp of 2.5 deaths per 10,000 people per day. These are extremely alarming figures, and we expect the situation to deteriorate. And there are extremely alarming food insecurity predictions for the rest of the country.

“In February, we called urgently for an immediate, coordinated, and rapid scale-up of the humanitarian response in North Darfur – led by the UN – to save lives. We called for food distribution to resume as a matter of urgency. We called for cash distributions so that people could buy food in the markets. We called for health providers to return and provide treatment. We called for the provision of clean water so that people no longer had to go to the swamps and rivers to quench their thirst. But no one came and – two months later – we remain almost completely alone there.

“This is not acceptable, and this level of international neglect is shocking. Across Sudan, women are dying because of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and patients with chronic diseases are dying because they are running out of medication. This can all be prevented if humanitarian actors scale up and have sufficient safe access. The vast needs, and the known atrocities that are being committed –are all reasons why we urge the UN and humanitarian organisations to redouble their efforts to assist people in Sudan. We navigate an extremely insecure context to provide health care and the warring parties must adhere to International Humanitarian Law and the humanitarian resolutions of the Jeddah accord they signed in May last year to protect civilians and ensure safe humanitarian access to all areas of Sudan – this includes lifting the blockade as a matter of urgency, opening the borders and opening the airports.

“We urge the UN to use their influence and leadership in this crisis to ensure the parties to the conflict fulfil these obligations, and to initiate a rapid, scale-up of the humanitarian response as a matter of urgency. We also urge donors to increase funding for the humanitarian response in Sudan. Without these three vital commitments, a humanitarian response on the scale required to prevent this colossal crisis from deteriorating any further will not be possible.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

The President of Liberia, H.E Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., announced today the formation of a multi-agency investigative committee to probe issues surrounding the exportation of unprocessed natural rubber, which has been the subject of controversy.

The Committee is composed of Agriculture Minister Alexander Nuetah as Chairman, along with Commerce and Industry Minister Amin Modad, Justice Minister N. Oswald Tweh. National Investment Commission Chairman Jeff Blibo, and Senior Economic Advisor Sahr Johnny as members.  

The President noted that he attaches utmost urgency to this process and asked the committee to provide detailed report upon the completion of the investigation.

The issue of exporting unprocessed natural rubber has been a source of disagreement among stakeholders in the rubber industry for some time now.

In November 2023, the former Government issued Executive Order #124, which imposed a moratorium on the export of unprocessed natural rubber from Liberia.

The moratorium covered various forms of unprocessed natural rubber, including natural latex, coagulum, cup lump, tree lace, bark scrap, ground scrap, and concentrated latex or dry rubber produced from rubber trees.

The Executive Order directed the Ministries of Commerce and Industry, Finance and Development Planning, and other government agencies to stop issuing export permits for unprocessed natural rubber.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of Liberia: Executive Mansion.

One year of conflict in Sudan is taking a devastating human toll. Over 8 million people have been displaced, and tens of thousands have been killed or wounded. The acute shortages of essential resources such as food, water and fuel, along with a seriously degraded healthcare system, are just some of the terrible consequences of the fighting.

The Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) is at the forefront of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement’s efforts to ensure that Sudanese civilians receive the humanitarian protection and assistance they desperately need.

“We have mobilized 4,000 volunteers from across the country to provide first aid and help evacuate the wounded. Our staff and volunteers distribute food and essential items, provide psychological support, and search for the missing,” says Aida Al-Sayed Abdullah, Secretary-General of the SRCS. “We urge the international community to increase their support to help us meet the urgent needs of the communities trapped in the conflict. We cannot let Sudan become another forgotten crisis.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and nine participating national societies (Danish Red Cross, German Red Cross, Netherlands Red Cross, Norwegian Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent, Spanish Red Cross, Swedish Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, and Turkish Red Crescent) have been supporting and working alongside SRCS to protect and support people affected by the ongoing conflict and natural disasters across the country.

SRCS, with its partners, has been pivotal in delivering essential medical aid to hospitals, offering relief to displaced people and their host communities, and reuniting families separated by turmoil—facilitating crucial phone conversations among separated family members. Through its key access across the country, SRCS has been able to provide the most needed support to thousands affected.

Beyond immediate assistance, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement contribution to the response extends to financial and material support to SRCS, alongside providing technical advice and strengthening capacity- building.

The IFRC launched a Federation-wide Emergency Appeal seeking 60 million Swiss Francs to support the SRCS business continuity as well as to scale up its life-saving humanitarian response in the country. The IFRC has also launched a Regional Population Movement seeking 42 million Swiss Francs to support humanitarian responses and activities of the National Societies in the neighboring countries of Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR), Ethiopia and Libya. 

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement calls on all state and non-state armed carriers involved in the conflict to follow their obligations under international humanitarian law, which is designed to protect ordinary people and those who can no longer fight. When homes, hospitals, and schools are damaged, and people who are not part of the fight are hurt, it not only causes immediate harm but also makes it much harder for communities to heal and come together after the conflict.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is committed to providing protection and life-saving relief to the people suffering the horrors of the ongoing conflict. It urges, however, that more funding is needed to sustain the SRCS operations in the year ahead.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).