West Africa Monthly Report: August 2026
By the West Africa ATF
Burkina Faso
In August 2026, the global rights group CIVICUS Monitor added Burkina Faso to its international human rights watchlist following a sharp crackdown on civil society under the government led by Ibrahim Traoré. Since 2025, authorities have suspended or dissolved more than 1,100 civil society organizations; restricted political parties and media; and targeted critics, journalists, activists and religious figures. CIVICUS reported Burkina Faso’s shrinking civic space is particularly severe compared with neighboring Mali and Niger, reflecting an increasingly consolidated military rule with little room for dissent.
Cape Verde
An August 2026 France 24 report highlighted the rapid erosion of parts of Santiago’s coastline caused by illegal sea-sand extraction. Driven by demand from the construction industry, the practice is damaging ecosystems, contributing to farmland salinization, and exposing women involved in sand collection to serious health risks.
Cameroon
Cameroon is facing a rise in femicides and gender-based violence, with at least 50 women reportedly killed between January and April 2026 and several more deaths in August. A BBC report highlighted public outrage, with footballer Ajara Nchout Njoya calling for an end to the “tragic wave” of killings. Despite government promises to strengthen legal protections, women’s rights groups say action has been slow.
The country is also facing concerns over the treatment of vulnerable migrants. In August, DW reported that 36 people deported from the U.S. to Cameroon under a third-country agreement could not work while awaiting asylum decisions, including three Ghanaian LGBTQ+ people who said officials had sent them there despite protections against deportation to Ghana.
Equatorial Guinea
The New York Times reported on August 21 that five people deported by the United States to Liberia refused to leave the plane, after which authorities flew them to Equatorial Guinea. The group included three Cuban men, a Brazilian national, and a Cameroonian woman. According to lawyers cited by the newspaper, officials took the migrants in handcuffs to a hotel in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where authorities had previously held other deportees.
Gabon
Ten years after the disputed 2016 presidential election in Gabon, victims of the violence that followed are still seeking truth and justice. According to an RFI report in August 2026, the unrest began after Ali Bongo was declared the winner over opposition leader Jean Ping, followed by a security forces assault on Ping’s campaign headquarters and days of violent repression, with the full death toll still unknown.
The UN highlighted efforts in southern Gabon to preserve traditional knowledge about forests, rivers and natural resources. Two UN Community Volunteers worked across rural communities, documenting the experiences of more than 45 knowledge holders, including traditional practices, medicinal plants, seasonal changes, and sustainable resource use. The initiative aims to protect cultural and environmental knowledge that is largely passed down orally and could disappear as older generations age, while building trust and greater community participation in conservation.
Ghana
Ghana faced concerns over its child immunization programs after US aid cuts created an estimated $78.2 million health funding shortfall. Health officials reported vaccine delays and difficulties with transport, outreach, and maintaining cold-chain equipment, particularly in rural areas. The government and local organizations are seeking greater domestic and private-sector funding as Ghana prepares to take on more responsibility for financing vaccinations in the coming years.
Guinea
In August 2026, a landfill collapsed in Conakry, Guinea, after heavy rain, killing at least 31 people, injuring more than 20 and destroying homes. Rescue teams searched for victims while hundreds of displaced residents were moved to temporary shelters. Residents said they had warned authorities about the landfill’s dangerous condition, while critics had also cited the landfill for pollution and repeated landslides The government has been planning its closure and construction of a new landfill outside the capital.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau moved forward with updating and validating its national HIV treatment protocols with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO). Health professionals and partners reviewed the guidelines to align them with WHO recommendations, improve the quality and continuity of HIV care, and ensure more equitable access to diagnosis and treatment. The updated protocols are expected to become a national reference for healthcare workers once approved.
Liberia
In August, the U.S. sent 20 deportees to Liberia under a new agreement that could eventually involve 1,200 people, adding to a growing network of third-country deportation deals across Africa. Critics argue the policy can leave asylum-seekers in unfamiliar countries with limited protections and may undermine the principle of non-refoulement, particularly when deportees had previously been protected from return to countries where they faced persecution or torture. Conditions vary across receiving countries, with some deportees reporting detention, inadequate support, and pressure to leave.
Furthermore, Liberia’s sexual and reproductive health services face further pressure after Sweden, a major donor, ended its long-standing development support in August. The funding had supported women’s rights, family planning, HIV care, and efforts to combat gender-based violence. Liberia also faces high rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion, with rights groups calling for stronger healthcare, sex education, and legal protections for women.
Separately, Liberia is moving to create a war crimes court for atrocities committed between 1979 and 2003. President Boakai's draft bill is headed for legislative passage by late this year and international partners are backing the effort pending funding and resources.
Mali
Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Russian-government-controlled Africa Corps paramilitaries killed nine civilians, including four children, in central Mali in July 2026, allegedly in the presence of Malian soldiers. Witnesses reported that attackers detained, beat and interrogated more than 80 men and boys, shot six while they fled, and reportedly executed three. HRW accused Mali’s military authorities of enabling the abuses and called for investigations, while noting that the killings occurred amid the country’s ongoing conflict with al-Qaeda- and ISIL-linked armed groups.
Furthermore, Tuareg rebels released about 60 Malian soldiers in exchange for former army officer and rebel leader Inkinane Ag Attaher, with Niger overseeing the deal.
Mauritania
Mauritania’s coastguard rescued more than 300 migrants, including 40 children, from an overloaded wooden boat drifting off the Atlantic coast. The boat had departed from The Gambia carrying 315 people from Senegal, The Gambia, and Mali, who were found in difficult humanitarian conditions near Nouadhibou. The rescue came amid continued attempts by migrants to reach Europe through the dangerous Atlantic route to Spain’s Canary Islands, where many people have died or gone missing after boats sank.
Niger
As of August 2026, Niger’s military government has contained a mutiny in the capital after soldiers seized a military base and attacked sensitive sites, highlighting tensions within an army already struggling with attacks by armed groups. Russian Africa Corps forces helped government troops suppress the uprising, reflecting Niger’s growing security ties with Russia since the 2023 coup and the withdrawal of Western forces.
Nigeria
Nigeria’s Senate is considering a bill regulating foreign aid and donations to civil society organizations by creating a new oversight commission and requiring foreign-funded activities to align with national development priorities. Human Rights Watch argues that the vague requirements could give authorities greater control over independent organizations, with noncompliance potentially leading to fines, loss of licenses, or imprisonment. The bill has passed two Senate readings and is now under committee review before further consideration.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered security forces to rescue hundreds of people reportedly abducted during an attack on a mosque in Niger State. Residents said attackers took around 600 women, children, and elderly people, although authorities have not yet confirmed the figure. Reports say attackers killed at least 30 people, while thousands fled to neighboring Benin. The incident highlights the continuing problem of large-scale kidnappings by armed criminal groups in northern Nigeria, often for ransom.
At the same time, Nigeria’s relations with the military-led governments of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are deteriorating, even as they face the same cross-border armed groups. The three Sahel countries have left ECOWAS and formed their own Alliance of Sahel States, while Niger also withdrew from a regional counterterrorism force. This fragmentation is weakening security coordination and creating gaps that groups such as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) can exploit.
Senegal
In an article published in August 2026, The Guardian reported that thousands of young boys (known as talibés) in Senegal, some as young as five, are sent to Qur’anic schools but are then forced by some religious teachers to beg for money and food. Human rights groups describe the practice as exploitation and trafficking. Many children face daily begging quotas, beatings, poor living conditions and, in extreme cases, being chained to prevent escape. Despite laws against forced begging and trafficking, rights groups say government efforts to stop the abuse remain limited, while poverty, migration, and pressure from religious leaders allow the practice to continue.
Togo
Two French journalists have been detained in Togo since late July and are now being held in pre-trial detention after the authorities charged them with “false statements.” Reporters Without Borders is calling for their release, saying they had the necessary filming and work permits, while Togo’s media regulator says they did not receive the required accreditation. Authorities arrested the journalists while they were filming in northern Togo, where a state of emergency is in place because of jihadist activity. Their families have also raised concerns about one journalist’s serious health problems.
The Gambia
In August 2026, women living around the Tanbi Wetland near Banjul continued restoring mangrove forests that protect coastal communities from erosion and flooding while supporting livelihoods. They planted and cared for thousands of mangroves, while the rainy season temporarily halted oyster harvesting, leading them to rely more on crabs and fishing. The restoration efforts are helping revive oyster populations and strengthen the wetland’s role as a natural defense for vulnerable coastal areas.
