11 – 20 May 2026, Banjul – The Gambia
The Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD) joined by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) as part of the RFLD delegation, calls for renewed commitment to civic space, human rights accountability, and Pan-African cooperation at the African Commission.
RFLD Observer Status Number : 553
Honorable Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
- Honorable Commissioners,
- Distinguished Delegates,
- Development Partners,
- Representatives of States and Civil Society,
- Members of the Media,
- All protocols duly observed.
The Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD), in partnership with the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), welcomes the convening of this 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
It is an honor to contribute to the Commission’s deliberations by sharing insights drawn from our work, regional engagements, and evidence generated through the RFLD Donuese Data Hub on the state of civic space and human rights across West Africa and the wider Sub-Saharan African region.
Honorable Chairperson,
The civic space environment across Africa continues to deteriorate under the combined pressures of democratic backsliding, militarised governance, insecurity, digital repression, and shrinking tolerance for dissent. Recent findings from the 2025 civic space assessments in West Africa, alongside data from the Civic Space Monitor, show that several countries in the region are now classified as “obstructed,” “repressed,” or “closed,” with increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, media freedom, and association.
The withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from ECOWAS, alongside growing securitisation trends across both AES and ECOWAS countries, has further weakened regional democratic accountability mechanisms and heightened risks for journalists, civic actors, women-led movements, and human rights defenders. While ratification of continental and international human rights instruments continues to progress, civic space itself is shrinking at an alarming pace.
Data from the RFLD Donuese Data Hub indicates that restrictive cybersecurity and public order laws have increasingly been used across more than 30 African countries to undermine freedom of expression, digital rights, and civic participation. The recent disruption of RightsCon — one of the world’s leading platforms on human rights and technology — further underscores the growing fragility of digital freedoms on the continent.
At the same time, impunity for violations of civil and political rights remains a major obstacle to democratic consolidation, while enforcement of judgments delivered by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights remains critically low.
Gender equality also remains an unfinished struggle.
Despite the important normative gains achieved under the Maputo Protocol, gender-based violence continues to rise across conflict and politically fragile contexts. Evidence gathered through our monitoring platforms indicates that women and girls in conflict-affected communities continue to face systemic violence with limited access to legal protection, psychosocial support, or effective remedies.
The feminisation of poverty, unequal access to land and productive resources, and the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work continue to marginalise women economically, despite their central role in sustaining communities and local economies.
As feminist and civil society institutions committed to democratic governance, human rights, and ecosystem resilience, RFLD and WACSI continue to deploy multidimensional approaches aimed at protecting civic space, strengthening women’s leadership, supporting civil society sustainability, and advancing climate and social justice across Africa.
Through strategic convenings, indigenous data systems, and evidence-based advocacy, we seek to transform civic action into credible policy influence capable of shaping national, regional, and continental responses to emerging governance and human rights challenges.
Honourable Chairperson,
We further wish to draw the Commission’s attention to the growing intersection between climate injustice, displacement, and human rights violations.
Environmental crises have displaced millions across Sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of whom are women and children. Yet many affected populations continue to exist within protection gaps that inadequately recognize climate-induced displacement as a human rights issue.
Access to clean water and sanitation must therefore no longer be viewed solely as a development concern, but as a fundamental human right directly linked to dignity, health, education, and peace-building.
Women and girls continue to bear the overwhelming burden of water insecurity across the continent, spending countless hours each day in water collection — time lost from education, economic empowerment, leadership, and personal safety. Inadequate sanitation infrastructure further undermines the dignity, health, and school retention of girls and young women.
The question of justice for Africans and people of African descent also remains both urgent and unresolved.
The enduring legacy of slavery, colonialism, structural racism, and economic dispossession continues to shape inequalities experienced by African peoples globally. Reparatory justice must therefore be approached not as charity, but as a legitimate moral, political, and legal obligation grounded in truth, accountability, restitution, and historical recognition.
In light of these concerns, RFLD and WACSI respectfully call on the Commission and State Parties to:
- Strengthen accountability mechanisms for the implementation of judgments of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights;
- Develop stronger normative guidance linking digital governance and cybersecurity frameworks with the protection of fundamental human rights and civic freedoms;
- Prioritize gender-sensitive protection systems, digital safety mechanisms, and reporting pathways for women human rights defenders, women journalists, and feminist movements facing gender-based civic repression;
- Intensify constructive engagement with transitional authorities in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to promote compliance with regional and continental human rights obligations;
- Facilitate stronger collaboration between the ACHPR, ECOWAS institutions, national human rights institutions, and civil society organizations to improve early warning, preventive diplomacy, and democratic accountability;
- Promote the production and use of reliable, disaggregated data to inform inclusive and evidence-based policymaking;
- Systematically integrate access to water and sanitation into national development, climate, and social protection frameworks using gender-responsive approaches;
- Support continental dialogue and legal frameworks on reparatory justice and the rights of people of African descent.
Honourable Chairperson,
The shrinking of civic space in Africa is no longer an isolated governance concern. It is rapidly becoming a continental peace, security, and democratic stability challenge.
Protecting civic freedoms is therefore not only a legal obligation under the African Charter, but a strategic imperative for democratic governance, social cohesion, and sustainable development across Africa.
RFLD and WACSI thank the Commission for its attention and reaffirm our commitment to supporting collective African efforts toward the protection and promotion of human and peoples’ rights across the continent.
Thank you.
About RFLD
A pan-African feminist network for a continent. RFLD combines legislative advocacy, community organising, re-granting, and open-data tools to advance women’s rights, SRHR, civic space, and climate justice across Africa.
RFLD is certified as a US 501(c)(3) Public Charity Equivalent by NGOsource — making us one of the most credentialed feminist intermediary organizations on the continent, alongside our ACHPR Observer Status. RFLD is Member of the ACHPR Special Rapporteur Working Group on Human Rights Defenders.
Our Offices
- Benin : Hounsa, Rue de l’Université Agricole Porto-Novo / Cotonou, Benin – +229 01 50 02 46 19
- Ghana : Nmai Dzorn, Adjiringano Rd Eden Court, Accra, Ghana – +233 53 496 8866
- Senegal : 5ème et 6ème étage, Immeuble Cité Keur Gorgui Résidence « AW 06 », Dakar, Sénégal – +221 77 541 84 37
- Banjul, The Gambia : ACHPR Liaison Office
