West Africa Monthly Report: September 2026
By the West Africa Task Force
Burkina Faso
Four years after Ibrahim Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso in a 2022 coup, exiled publisher Inoussa Ouédraogo has warned of worsening repression and declining human rights. Traoré has accused the junta of using the fight against jihadist groups to justify abductions, arbitrary detention, and the suppression of dissent. Journalists, civil society members, and other critics have reportedly been targeted, while insecurity and economic hardship persist.
Cameroon
Militant violence continued in Cameroon’s Far North Region throughout September 2026. Armed militants killed at least 15 civilians in the northern village of Madegoua on September 17. No group has claimed responsibility, but a security analyst has noted that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) was the likely perpetrator. Some villagers suspected the assault was enforcement of an earlier militant order to vacate the strategic route for insurgents. It is reported that thousands fled the area following the attack.
Elsewhere in the Far North Region, clashes between government forces and ISWAP in Sagmé left at least three militants dead and two soldiers wounded. Suspected Boko Haram fighters burned a military post and killed two villagers in Kotsrahe. In Cameroon’s Anglophone regions, separatist factions imposed lockdowns to disrupt school reopening. Reported incidents also include the killing of a police officer, the brief abduction of five teachers in Wum, and the deaths of six civilians in Ekona.
Political and civic freedoms also face pressure ahead of the 2027 elections. On September 8, opposition leader Maurice Kamto and his deputy Mamadou Mota resigned from the leadership of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) after the government refused to recognize the results of the party’s December 2025 convention. Mota cited “constant harassment by the Cameroonian administration,” raising uncertainty as to the party’s future direction and the risk of escalating ethnic tensions.
Côte d'Ivoire
Amnesty International has reported that forced and early marriage in West Africa deprives girls of education and independence. Absétou from Côte d’Ivoire resisted forced marriage, endured abuse, but eventually trained as a midwife. Bibata from Burkina Faso married in the hope of continuing her studies, but her husband broke his promise, forcing her to return home. Amnesty works with local communities to combat forced marriage and gender-based violence while promoting girls’ education and women’s financial independence.
Equatorial Guinea
The Guardian has reported that United States (US) deportees removed to Equatorial Guinea’s Hotel Bamy have faced alleged beatings, poor living conditions and limited access to medical care and lawyers. Around 30 people remained detained, while at least 12 had reportedly been returned to countries where they risk persecution. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about abuse, forced returns and violations of international protections. The US government maintains that deportees were sent to a safe third country.
Gambia (The)
Prolonged power cuts in The Gambia have triggered protests demanding President Adama Barrow’s resignation ahead of the December 2026 elections. Demonstrations spread across Banjul, Kanifing, Brikama and Brufut, as electricity outages lasting up to 48 hours disrupted households, businesses and water supplies. The government has promised to improve the situation by installing an additional 24-megawatt generator at Brikama Power Station by the end of October.
The crisis reflects long-term problems, including aging infrastructure, high fuel costs and dependence on imported electricity from neighboring countries. Reduced hydroelectric exports from Guinea, caused by high temperatures and low rainfall, have further worsened shortages.
Ghana
The Trump administration has deported over 100 non-Ghanaians to Ghana under its third-country deportation policy, including people with no ties to the country. One deportee, Sierra Leonean nurse Rabbiatu Kuyateh, was sent back to Sierra Leone despite protection against removal there. The policy has raised human rights concerns and prompted legal action.
Guinea
Following the discovery of six bodies, which were found blindfolded and with hands bound, suggesting extrajudicial executions in a mass grave in Forecariah on Aug. 24, 2026, the Anadolu Agency reported that a coalition of political, trade union, and civil society actors had appealed to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights. Subsequently, on Sep. 24, 2026, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights called for identifying the victims and requested an independent investigation with public findings.
September also saw instances of repression, notably the transfer of Magistrate Algassimou Diallo on September 5, 2026, to a prison 700 km from the capital. This location left his family unable to receive news of him and created significant difficulties for his lawyers in preparing his defense, developments that raise concerns regarding respect for rights.
Finally, on Sep. 28, human rights protection and advocacy organizations called for progress in the appeal proceedings concerning the 2009 stadium massacre, as well as for more transparent and inclusive victim compensation. These developments underscore the need to monitor detainee protection, judicial independence, and efforts to combat impunity.
Guinea Bissau
Guinea-Bissau’s transitional military government has announced more delays to the country’s presidential and legislative elections which are scheduled for Dec. 8, 2026. Civil liberties have been under increasing pressure since General Horta N'Tam took power after the November 2025 coup that removed former President Embaló. Civil society activists warn that threats and violence against government critics are rising, especially after the unsolved murder of Vigario Luis Balanta, artist and leader of the Po di Terra (Dust of the Earth) movement. The Global Initiative Against Organized Crime, based in Geneva, recently published a report accusing top political leaders in Guinea-Bissau of benefiting from the global cocaine trade and letting foreign cartels shape local politics, which has further weakened the country’s democratic processes.
Liberia
Liberia’s 2025 agreement with the US to accept third-country deportees has raised concerns about due process, human rights and constitutional approval. The first 20 deportees arrived in August 2026 under a deal potentially covering 1,200 people. Academic Robtel Neajai Pailey questions the agreement’s lack of transparency and reports of a $5 million payment, arguing that it reflects a longer history of unequal US-Liberia agreements.
Mali
In September 2026, Mali continued to face escalating armed conflict and a worsening humanitarian situation. On Sept. 10, the al-Qaeda-linked armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a Malian army camp in Dioura, central Mali. Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for killing and capturing large numbers of soldiers, although its casualty figures could not be independently verified. The attack highlighted the military government's continuing difficulties in containing armed groups, despite its cooperation with Africa Corps.
On Sept. 22, Al Jazeera reported that armed groups were expanding their reach and that a fuel blockade was exposing the vulnerability of supply routes into Bamako, threatening transportation, electricity, and other essential services. These developments raise concerns about civilian safety, access to necessities, and the government's ability to protect the population.
Human rights violations and displacement were also major concerns during September. On Sept. 24, Doctors without Borders (DWB) reported increased violence in central Mali. An attack on the village of Touara in the Ségou region on the Sept. 15 killed several people and displaced residents, while a drone strike in Guélédje on Sept. 16 reportedly killed at least seven people and injured others. DWB treated wounded civilians and prepared a mobile clinic to address the medical needs of approximately 2,000 displaced people, most of whom were women and children.
Separately, on Sept. 29, Amnesty International published findings documenting alleged war crimes committed by Malian armed forces and Wagner Group personnel during joint operations between 2023 and 2025. The report documented the killing of at least 34 civilians across seven localities, as well as torture and other abuses. These findings raise serious concerns about civilian protection, accountability, and the risks faced by communities caught between armed groups and state-aligned forces.
Niger
On Sept. 14, Al Jazeera reported that an attempted mutiny in Niamey, Niger on Aug. 29 had exposed divisions within the armed forces and the military government's increasing reliance on Russian support. The attempted uprising had targeted a military airbase, the presidential palace, and the national broadcaster. Separately, on Sept. 22, Human Rights Watch reported that the military authorities had provisionally stripped five more exiled opposition figures of their Nigerien nationality under a controversial counterterrorism framework. Those affected included former Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and activist Boubacar Seyni Souley. Human Rights Watch warned that the measures lacked adequate legal safeguards and could violate rights to nationality and due process, while increasing the risk of statelessness.
Niger also experienced serious humanitarian challenges linked to insecurity and population displacement. According to the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS), by July 2026, more than 548,000 people were internally displaced nationwide. Attacks by non-state armed groups and intercommunal violence particularly affected the Tillabéri, Diffa, and northern Tahoua regions, while violence in Dosso suggested a geographical expansion of insecurity. Conditions were especially difficult for newly displaced families in Diffa: ACAPS reported that 60% of newly arrived households were sleeping outdoors, with limited access to food, clean water, sanitation, and essential supplies. These conditions increase exposure to disease and create additional protection risks for children, women, and people with disabilities.
Nigeria
A Climate Impact Lab report projects that extreme heat linked to El Niño could cause around 66,800 additional deaths across the Sahel between Sept. 2026 and Feb. 2027. Nigeria is expected to face the highest toll, with an estimated 31,400 deaths, followed by Sudan, Niger and Chad.
Furthermore, more than 80 people, mostly women, were reportedly kidnapped in two attacks in Nigeria’s Niger and Zamfara states in September 2026. Armed gangs also burned homes, with local sources suggesting the death toll may rise. Kidnapping for ransom remains a major security problem, with armed groups reportedly collecting nearly $6 million in ransom payments between July 2025 and June 2026.
Lastly, at least 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of Nigeria’s civil defense corps in Niger state in September 2026. Authorities launched an investigation, with officials citing a possible disease outbreak while a preliminary intelligence report pointed to overcrowding and poor ventilation. The deaths sparked protests and renewed concerns about detention conditions. Illegal mining in the region is also linked to violence by armed gangs and the smuggling of gold.
Senegal
In Senegal, Awa Diba’s difficult 24-hour labor in a crowded, poorly equipped Senegalese hospital highlights the pressures facing the country’s public healthcare system. Doctors and other health workers have staged strikes. Despite economic growth from oil and gas, Senegal’s heavy debt burden and cuts to foreign aid limit funding for healthcare. Patients face long waits and high costs for consultations, tests and treatment. They often delay seeking care until illnesses become severe.
Togo
Three members of a French documentary crew were provisionally released in Togo in early Sept. 2026, after more than a month in detention. Arrested on July 27 while filming in northern Togo, Gaël Mocaër, Sebastian Perez Pezzani, and their Togolese fixer Fred Vedomey face charges of making false statements and administrative irregularities. The crew denies the allegations, maintaining that they had authorization to film. The case has raised concerns about press freedom in Togo, where French broadcasters RFI and France 24 have been suspended since June 2025.
