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Sweden Stands with West African Defenders: Ambassador Catharina Cappelin Joins RFLD Dakar Convening
A moment, recorded across the continent
The Dakar Conveningin the words of African media
Dear partner,
On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, at our Dakar Office in Cité Keur Gorgui, the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) convened a high-level Afrofeminist consultation on the protection of Women Human Rights Defenders in West Africa, under the theme Solidarity, Protection and Lineage of Engagement.
The institutional voices in the room included Hon. Prof. Remy Ngoy Lumbu, ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders; Her Excellency Catharina Cappelin, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Senegal; and the Federal Republic of Germany, represented diplomatically by Mrs Henriette Wolf (Embassy of Germany) and through bilateral cooperation by Mrs Katja Roeckel (GIZ Senegal), alongside Mrs Hannah Forster (ACDHRS), Prof. Mabassa Fall, Mr Naji Moulay Lahsen (CIDH Sahel & North Africa), and the women defenders invited from across the West African region.
In the days that followed, the convening was carried by 31 articles across 29 outlets in 6 countries — Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, Benin, and Morocco/Sahara — in French, English, and Arabic. Below is the consolidated roundup, organised by country.
We share it with our institutional partners, peer organisations, and the wider network as a record of what was said, by whom, and where.
🇬🇭 Ghana · English
Press at the Accra corridor
Four outlets including national mainstream
ClassFM
GIZ Joins RFLD in Dakar: Germany's Bilateral Cooperation Meets West African Feminist Movement
The Overseer Online
GIZ Joins RFLD in Dakar — Germany's Bilateral Cooperation Meets West African Feminist Movement (ClassFM syndication)
GhanaWeb
ACHPR Special Rapporteur Remy Ngoy Lumbu Anchors RFLD Dakar Consultation
🇳🇬 Nigeria · English
National wire and mainstream press
Six outlets including NAN syndication and The Guardian Nigeria
The Guardian Nigeria
"She Who Arrives Is Bound to Those Who Came Before" — Women Defenders Lead Dakar Consultation
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
RFLD Pushes for Stronger Protection of Women Defenders in W. Africa
NAN (syndication)
Group Pushes for Stronger Protection of Women Defenders in W. Africa
NewsAuthority
RFLD Convenes High-Level Afrofeminist Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders in West Africa
HammerTimes
RFLD Convenes High-Level Afrofeminist Consultation in West Africa
SharpEdge News
RFLD Convenes High-Level Afrofeminist Consultation in West Africa
🇬🇲 The Gambia · English
Press at the Banjul corridor
Seven outlets from RFLD's anglophone hub
AskAnwi
RFLD's Afrofeminist Methodology Sets New Continental Standard for Women Defenders
N24 Gambia
West African Women Human Rights Defenders Convene in Dakar Amid Shrinking Civic Space
CivilPress
The Operationalisation Gap: Why Africa's Continental Human Rights Architecture Is Not Under-developed in Instruments But in Mechanisms
BlockTV Gambia
West Africa's Women Defenders Take the Floor in Dakar — Demand Action Over Sympathy
Voice Out Digital
Dakar Hosts High-Level Afrofeminist Consultation on Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders
The Point
RFLD Anchors Afrofeminist Strategy in Dakar Consultation on Women Human Rights Defenders
Alkamba Times
RFLD Convenes West Africa Summit to Protect Women Human Rights Defenders
🇸🇳 Senegal · French
Press in the host country
Seven outlets carried the convening from the Senegalese capital
Seneweb
Menaces, violences, isolement : le cri d'alerte des défenseuses des droits humains
Walf Groupe
Afrique de l'Ouest : Bator Seck appelle à protéger les défenseuses des droits humains
Lii Quotidien
Défense des droits humains : les femmes défenseuses en première ligne face aux violences, menaces et campagnes de dénigrement
Point Actu
Protection des défenseuses des droits humains : les acteurs en conclave à Dakar par une consultation afroféministe
Infos Dakar
Couverture de la concertation afroféministe ouest-africaine
Alif Medias
Elles protègent les autres au péril de leur propre sécurité : le plaidoyer du RFLD pour les défenseuses des droits humains
LAS News
Droits humains : le RFLD fédère institutions africaines et société civile autour de la protection des femmes engagées
🇧🇯 Benin · French
Press at the Porto-Novo corridor
Eight outlets from the francophone press
Le Coopérant Web TV
Concertation stratégique sur la protection des DDH en Afrique : La Suède réaffirme son engagement aux côtés du RFLD
Fenou Medias
Solidarité, Protection et Lignée d'Engagement : le RFLD fait de Dakar le laboratoire d'une nouvelle réponse africaine aux défis des défenseuses des droits humains
Guérite TV Monde
Protection des défenseuses des droits humains : ce que la concertation dans les bureaux du RFLD à Dakar dit du décalage entre normes continentales et réalité de terrain
Les 4 Vérités
Le RFLD inaugure son bureau de Dakar et mobilise l'Afrique de l'Ouest
Hirondelle Info
RFLD : Porto-Novo / Dakar / CADHP
Bénin Intelligent
Protection des défenseuses des droits humains : Dakar au cœur d'une rencontre continentale
Le Paraclet
À Dakar, la CADHP, la Suède et l'Allemagne
Boulevard des Infos
Sénégal : le bureau du RFLD à Dakar accueille la concertation afroféministe ouest-africaine
🇲🇦 Morocco / Sahara · Arabic
Press in the North African corridor
Arabic-language coverage extending the narrative beyond West Africa
Laayoune Now (العيون الآن)
Dakar: African women rights defenders sound the alarm on the situation of women human rights defenders in the Sahel
داكار.. حقوقيات إفريقيا يدقن ناقوس الخطر بشأن أوضاع المدافعات عن حقوق الإنسان في الساحل
She who arrives is bound to those who came before. We move forward by remembering them.
Anchored within
AIHRDFWA — Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development in Francophone West Africa
Funded by the BMZ · Implemented with support from GIZ
For funders and partnersPour les bailleurs et les partenaires
Fund the women who defend rights in Africa, nowFinancez maintenant les femmes qui défendent les droits en Afrique
Aid to women’s organisations is falling. RFLD moves funding fast to women-led organisations and defenders, in French and English, through a network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries.L’aide aux organisations de femmes recule. Le RFLD achemine vite les financements vers les organisations de femmes et les défenseures, en français et en anglais, grâce à un réseau de 1 143 organisations membres dans plus de 35 pays africains.
RFLD currently serves as Co-Chair of the SEA-T Programme Advisory Council, mandated to ensure the programme’s direction, priorities, and resources are meaningfully aligned with the visions of African women-led civil society. The SEA-T Programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.Le RFLD assure actuellement la coprésidence du Conseil consultatif du programme SEA-T, chargé de veiller à ce que l’orientation, les priorités et les ressources du programme soient réellement alignées sur les visions de la société civile africaine portée par les femmes. Le programme SEA-T est financé par le ministère fédéral allemand de la Coopération économique et du Développement (BMZ) et mis en œuvre par la Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. See the partnershipVoir le partenariat
- 1,143member organisationsorganisations membres
- 35+African countriespays africains
- N°553ACHPR observer statusstatut d’observateur CADHP
- CandidSeal of Transparency 2025Sceau de transparence 2025
DonateFaire un don Partner with RFLDDevenir partenaire See our financialsVoir nos états financiers