Sahel juntas are 'crushing' basic freedoms
In the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, military rulers are increasingly clamping down on press freedom and freedom of expression. Many journalists
In the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, military rulers are increasingly clamping down on press freedom and freedom of expression. Many journalists, bloggers and activists have been forced into exile. Since the 2020â2023 coups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, military leaders have imposed sweeping criminalâdefamation and antiâterrorism laws that enable the arbitrary detention of journalists, bloggers and activists. They have also ordered the shutdown of independent radio stations and online platforms. "It has become more repressive. It's no longer as easy to speak out," Ulf Laessing, former director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's Sahel program in Mali. People have become more cautious. "That is clearly a point of criticism against the government," he told DW. In Mali, General Assimi Goita seized power through two military coups in 2020 and 2021 and gradually placed the country under military rule. In 2025, the Transitional Council passed a draft law securing Goita's rule for another five years. All three Sahel junta states have withdrawn from the ECOWAS regional alliance Image: Boureima Hama/AFP According to Laessing, the unstable security situation had initially improved somewhat in some parts of Mali, and farmers were even able to return to their fields. That is no longer the case today. Mali still faces the threat of terrorism andjihadist insurgents control some parts of the country. "I don't think any government will succeed in recapturing those areas. Even if there were more coups or eventually an elected government," he sees little chance of bringing peace to the country. According to Laessing, the people in Bamako want neither Sharia law nor the Islamists. There would have been plenty of reasons to protest against the government, despite the dangers and repression.
But the people are aware that if this government goes, the next one will be more Islamist. "That's not what the people want," Laessing said. Silencing dissent in Burkina Faso In the other two countries of the Sahel Alliance (AES), founded in 2023âBurkina Faso and Nigerâmilitary rulers are also governing with an iron fist. Freedom of expression and democratic aspirations are being severely curtailed. "In the case of Burkina Faso, I would say that public space no longer exists at all," Burkinabe human rights activist Binta Sidibe-Gascon told DW. "Everyone is forced into silence and pressured to self-censor. Anyone who dares to speak out about the national situation is sent to the front lines." Sidibe-Gascon is president of the NGO Observatoire Kisal and a member of the Citizens' Coalition for the Sahel, an alliance that aims to strengthen civil society in the Sahel. She herself lives in the diaspora. Jihadist groups in Africa and their links To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The government considers Sidibe-Gascon unwilling to engage in dialogue. Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traore seized power in a coup in September 2022 and promised the Burkinabe people that he would restore security in the country. Little evidence of that is visible. "All the rights of the BurkinabĂ© have been seized and are now in the hands of a single man who makes all the decisions. Civil rights, human rights, property rightsâeven the right to life. The death penalty has been reinstated. This is a step backward for Burkina Faso," Sidibe-Gascon said. Junta leader Traore's views on these fundamental democratic rights became clear by early April.
The BriefWire