West Africa Monthly Report: July 2026
- Genocide Watch
- 16 minutes ago
- 5 min read
By the West Africa Task Force
Burkina Faso
In July 2026, the CIVICUS Monitor placed Burkina Faso on its Watchlist amid reports of an intensified crackdown by the military junta, including the suspension of over 1,100 civil society organizations, the dissolution of political parties, and restrictions on critics and independent voices. Over half the 26,000 people killed in Burkina Faso since 2015 died in the last three years, according to Human Rights Watch citing ACLED data.
Furthermore, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that Burkina Faso’s ruling junta was linked to a coordinated online network known as the BIR-C, which allegedly targeted journalists and critics through disinformation, smear campaigns, cyber harassment, threats, and online intimidation. RSF’s investigation identified several journalists as targets and alleged that the network was connected to senior government officials.
Cameroon
In northern Cameroon, a WHO-supported campaign at the Mokolo Regional Annex Hospital provided life-changing treatment for women suffering from obstetric fistula, a childbirth-related complication that can cause long-term physical, social, and psychological impacts. The initiative identified 60 women with suspected fistula cases, confirmed 37 diagnoses, and provided corrective surgery to 12 patients. Additionally, the initiative strengthened community awareness, early detection, and access to maternal healthcare services.
Côte d’Ivoire
In July 2026, authorities in Côte d’Ivoire reported that flooding and landslides had killed at least 59 people since the start of the rainy season in May, with authorities warning the death toll could rise as rescue operations continued. The severe rains were part of a broader wave of flooding across West Africa, including Ghana, where teams rescued hundreds of people and at least 13 people died. Officials and experts attributed the growing severity of the flooding to a combination of extreme weather linked to climate change, rapid urbanization, poor drainage systems, and inadequate waste management.
The Gambia
In The Gambia, a catch-up HPV vaccination campaign expanded access to cervical cancer prevention for adolescent girls aged 9–14 who had missed the previous vaccination drive. Led by the Ministry of Health with support from WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, the initiative brought vaccines directly to schools, madrassas, and communities across three regions. Health workers vaccinated nearly 8,500 girls, achieving 95% coverage, while strengthened collaboration with educators, community leaders, and families helped improve vaccine acceptance and protect future generations from cervical cancer.
Guinea
On July 9, 2024, Oumar Sylla, a prominent journalist, activist, and opposition coalition organizer for the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, along with Mamadou Billo Bah, mobilization coordinator for the FNDC, were taken hostage during a government raid. They have not returned as of July 2026. Government forces adamantly deny any participation in their disappearance, and instead state that non-government forces are responsible. Assailants also took a third person, who returned the next day with signs of torture, and later claimed that special forces in the Loos Archipelago interrogated and tortured them.
There is a growing list of alleged abductions and tortures. The former president of the Guinean Bar Association was forcefully taken and abused in June of 2025. Other figures include Abdoul Sacko, national coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea, and journalist Habib Marouane Camara, director of the online media outlet Le Révélateur 224, who authorities have not located since December 2024.
In July 2026, Amnesty International called on Guinean authorities to reveal the fate and whereabouts of victims of abductions and enforced disappearances, including Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah, and to ensure authorities prosecute those responsible.
Guinea-Bissau
Last month, health authorities confirmed the first reported case of mpox in Guinea-Bissau after the Institut Pasteur de Dakar validated laboratory testing. The Ministry of Public Health activated response measures, including case investigation, contact tracing, enhanced disease surveillance, infection prevention and control in health facilities, community awareness efforts, and coordination with health partners to strengthen the national response.
Ghana
Ghana has taken steps to protect its citizens amid recent xenophobic violence and anti-immigrant protests in South Africa. This past month anti-immigration protests have surged in South Africa, causing other African countries to warn and express caution to their citizens. In April, Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa called for an intervention to prevent escalation. In May, Ghana evacuated 300 citizens after reports of violent protests. In July 2026, as protests continue to occur, two Ghanaian nationals have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes against foreigners.
Liberia
Liberia continues to face challenges related to drug trafficking and a growing addiction crisis. This past month, authorities made the largest drug seizure in the country’s history with 3,971 kg of cocaine worth nearly $371 million. While the origin is still unknown, several people were arrested during the raid in Duazon, a town 12 miles east of the capital, Monrovia.
This drug bust, while extreme, reflects the broader drug crisis in Liberia. The growing kush crisis continues to affect communities, particularly young people. While the government tries to combat the issue, drug traffickers’ methods are increasingly changing, and authorities reported only eight drug-offense convictions between September 2025 and June 2026.
Sierra Leone
As in Liberia, a kush drug crisis has spread in Sierra Leone, particularly among young people. The highly addictive synthetic drug has become increasingly visible in Freetown, where users face severe health consequences, addiction, homelessness, and social isolation. A Le Monde investigation reported that kush first appeared in Sierra Leone in the mid-2010s before spreading to neighboring Liberia, where local producers make the drug using imported chemical ingredients.
Nigeria
Nigeria continues to deal with growing violence, after 20 people were killed in a recent attack on a village in Zamfara State. Although there did not appear to be a specific target in the raid, the attack highlights the continuing rise in violence. Kidnappings are also becoming increasingly common, as kidnappers seek large ransom payments from civilians and government authorities. Earlier this month, a court sentenced several men to life in prison in connection with a May 2026 abduction of nearly 50 school pupils from Oyo state.
Niger
In July 2026, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that three years of military rule in Niger had deepened the human rights crisis. The junta had weakened democratic institutions, restricted civil society and media freedom, detained political opponents and activists, and expanded laws limiting basic freedoms.
HRW also highlighted abuses linked to counterinsurgency operations, the criminalization of same-sex relations, and Niger’s withdrawal from regional and international accountability mechanisms. The organization has called on the authorities to release people arbitrarily detained by authorities, protect fundamental rights, and establish a credible path back to civilian rule.
Mali
In July, Mali’s conflict entered a new phase as the separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and al-Qaeda-linked JNIM coordinated attacks against government forces. The alliance has strengthened armed groups’ ability to carry out ambushes, attacks on military convoys, and drone strikes across northern Mali. Russia’s Africa Corps supports the government and continues to fight the groups, but neither side has secured a decisive advantage.
The partnership has complicated prospects for a political settlement, as the FLA seeks independence for Azawad while JNIM seeks to overthrow the government. With both sides maintaining opposing political goals, the conflict shows little sign of ending.
Mauritania
In a July 2026 report, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Association Mauritanienne des Droits de l’Homme (AMDH) found that, despite legal reforms, Mauritania continued to face serious human rights problems, including restrictions on free expression, harassment of activists and journalists, slavery, violence against women, abuses against migrants and refugees, and continued death sentences issued by courts.
The organizations have urged the government to implement reforms, protect fundamental freedoms, combat impunity and slavery, and work toward abolishing the death penalty.
