In Sudan, almost a dozen protesters disappeared in June following a violent crackdown by the security forces or paramilitaries.
In Libya, Seham Sergiwa, an MP and critic of military strongman Khalifa Haftar, has been missing since July after she was forcibly removed from her home in a violent raid.
In Zimbabwe, where doctors have been on strike demanding better pay and working conditions, the president of the Hospital Doctors Association was kidnapped from his home. He was tortured by government forces for three days before being found, in a serious condition, several kilometres outside Harare.
These three recent cases of enforced disappearances, the practice of secretly abducting or imprisoning a person, are just the tip of the iceberg. There may be hundreds more, but most are going unreported.
No one has been prosecuted for these crimes, creating a culture of impunity and ongoing suffering for the victims. In Algeria, almost three decades after the civil war ended, relatives are still searching for their loved ones and fighting against a pervasive culture of impunity and silence to obtain answers.
The practice of enforced disappearances dates back to the colonial era in Africa, when enforced disappearances were used against freedom fighters and to instil blind obedience among the population. In recent years, some African states have relied on enforced disappearances to silence political opposition, activists and human rights defenders.
Enforced disappearance is a particularly heinous human rights violation as it places victims outside the law, putting them at a high risk of torture and other violations. Many victims are tortured or killed or live in constant fear of being killed, while their families live in mental anguish, not knowing if their loved ones are still alive, where they are being held, or how they are being treated.
Since the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances was established in the 1980s, it has received 4,000 complaints of enforced disappearances involving African countries. However, the available statistics do not provide a full and accurate picture as many victims’ relatives are reluctant to report for fear of retaliation and reprisal. Distrust in government and a weak rule of law in African countries also hinder reporting by the victims’ relatives.
Comments
We encourage anyone to comment, please consult the oD commenting guidelines if you have any questions.