Amnesty International said in an annual report on the human rights situation in Africa published yesterday that protesters across sub-Saharan Africa have defied bullets and beatings in defense of their rights.
According to the organization, in 2019, "We saw the amazing power of people in the mass protests that swept across sub-Saharan Africa. From Sudan to Zimbabwe, and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Guinea, people defied brutal crackdowns to defend their rights."
In Sudan, the organization said that government forces in the Darfur region continued their serious human rights violations, including unlawful killings, sexual violence, systematic looting, and forced displacement.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dozens of domestic and foreign armed groups, along with government security forces, continued to commit human rights violations, killing more than 2,000 civilians and displacing at least a million people in 2019.
In Somalia, civilians continued to live at the mercy of the Al-Shabaab's armed attacks, while government and allied forces failed to take adequate precautions to spare civilians their attacks targeting Al-Shabaab.
Armed groups have also carried out attacks against civilians in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso, while governments have failed to provide protection for civilians.
The report monitored a significant deterioration of security in central Mali, with widespread killings of civilians by armed groups and self-declared "self-defense groups". In response, Malian security forces committed multiple violations, including torture and extrajudicial executions.
In Mozambique, armed groups continued to launch attacks against the general population in Cabo Delgado, and security forces were alleged to have committed grave human rights violations in response to the violence.
Access to health care also remains a major concern for people across the region, as the decline in health financing has resulted in a shortage of beds and medicine in hospitals. According to the report, governments from Angola to Zimbabwe, through Burundi to Cameroon, have failed to respect the right to health, and conflicts have exacerbated the situation.
In Ethiopia, clashes between ethnic groups have been met with a disproportionate response by the security forces.
In 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, journalists were arbitrarily arrested and detained in 2019. In Nigeria, for example, 19 cases of abuse, arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists were recorded, many of whom faced fabricated charges.
In Burundi, the authorities continued to suppress the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations, including subjecting them to prosecution and long prison terms.
In 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, journalists were arbitrarily arrested and detained in 2019. In Nigeria, for example, 19 cases of abuse, arbitrary arrest, and detention of journalists were recorded, many of whom faced fabricated charges.
In Burundi, the authorities continued to suppress the work of human rights defenders and civil society organizations, including subjecting them to prosecution, and long prison terms.