The African Union’s (AU) appointment of Burundi’s president as its special envoy for the Sahel region strengthens the AU’s capacity to address the most pressing human rights challenges facing Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
The appointment of Ndayishimiye on July 17, 2025, comes at a critical juncture in the Sahel, marked by increased threats to civilians caught in armed conflict, emboldened authoritarianism of the military juntas, and growing marginalization of independent institutions, including the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These dynamics have eroded the rule of law, widened impunity for serious human rights abuses, and left civilians increasingly vulnerable.
“Despite Burundi’s very troubling human rights record, President Ndayishimiye has an opportunity to promote human rights and rights-based governance in the Sahel,” said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “A failure to do so would signal a dangerous tolerance for authoritarianism under the guise of diplomacy.”
Ndayishimiye should make respect for human rights and the rule of law prominent in the AU’s approach to the Sahel and address the following major concerns:
Islamist armed groups and government security forces continue to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. As of mid-2025, the armed conflicts in the Sahel had killed at least tens of thousands of civilians, resulting in one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises, forcing over three million people from their homes.
Since 2020, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have experienced military coups. The ruling military juntas have shown intolerance for political opposition and dissent. Civic and political space has shrunk as a crackdown on journalists, civil society activists, and opposition party members has increased, through arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and unlawful conscription. The military leaders of the three countries have solidified their power without elections, delaying the return to democratic civilian rule.
The authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have ignored calls for accountability and failed to uphold their international legal obligations to investigate serious rights violations by their security forces, and hold those responsible accountable, allowing impunity to fester and emboldening the abusers. In 2025, the three countries officially left ECOWAS, depriving their citizens of the opportunity to seek justice for human rights violations through the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
“The AU special envoy should open a meaningful dialogue with the authorities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on their governments’ obligations to protect human rights,” Ngari said. “He should ensure that the AU’s strategy on the Sahel prioritizes the protection of civilians at risk, the need to respect civil and political rights, and the promotion of justice and accountability.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
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