Addressing a forgotten struggle: Victims of enforced disappearance in Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v31i2.125518Keywords:
enforced disappearance, justice, Africa, victimsAbstract
Abstract: Enforced disappearance in Africa occurs on a daily basis and no one is immune from becoming a victim. The practice, which commenced during the colonial times, continues today. Governments routinely use enforced disappearance as a tool to oppress the opposition and instill fear among the population in order to retain power. It is also used in the context of migration, as well as in many other contexts and against a variety of victims. As enforced disappearance is a crime committed by State officials with an interest in concealing it, the statistics on its prevalence are limited and do not show the full extent of the crime in Africa. Further, the lack of political will to acknowledge the use of this practice means that many African States lack policies and laws to prevent, investigate and punish the perpetrators of enforced disappearance. In the last two years, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted two resolutions raising awareness of the crime and paving the way for drafting and adopting specific guidelines to address this crime, which would be a first step in setting up a holistic framework to eradicate enforced disappearances on the continent.
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African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Communication 250/02, Liesbeth Zegveld and Mussie Ephrem v Eritrea, November 2003, para. 53-55.
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Communication 393/10, Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa and Others v Democratic Republic of Congo, June 2016, para. 106.
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Communications 54/91-61/91-96/93-98/93-164/97-196/97-210/98, Malawi African Association and others v Mauritania, para. 114 and dispositif.
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African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Resolution on the Drafting of Guidelines for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in Africa - ACHPR/Res. 448 (LXVI) 2020. Retrieved from https://www.achpr.org/sessions/resolutions?id=479
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Dabanga. (2017, September 20). Sudan deports another 36 Eritrean migrants. Retrieved from https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-deports-another-36-eritrean-migrants
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International Committee of the Red Cross. (2019, September 12). Nigeria: 22,000 people registered as missing after a decade of war, ICRC’s highest caseload in the world. Retrieved from https://www.icrc.org/en/document/nigeria-22000-people-registered-missing-after-decade-war-icrcs-highest-caseload-world
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, December 2006 amended November 2012. Retrieved from http://www.icglr.org/index.php/en/the-pact
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International Humanitarian Law Database. (2020). Practice Relating to Rule 98 Enforced Disappearance (Part IV). Retrieved from https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule98
International Organization for Migration. (2020, April 17). Migrants Missing in Libya a Matter of Gravest Concern. Retrieved from https://www.iom.int/news/migrants-missing-libya-matter-gravest-concern
IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre. Map Tracking Migrant Deaths and Disappearances, as at 25 February 2021. Retrieved from https://gmdac.iom.int/map-tracking-migrant-deaths-and-disappearances
Lawyers for Justice in Libya. (2020a, July 17). One year after the enforced disappearance of lawmaker Siham Sergiwa, Lawyers for Justice in Libya reiterates its call for accountability. Retrieved from https://www.libyanjustice.org/news/one-year-after-the-enforced-disappearance-of-lawmaker-siham-sergiwa-lawyers-for-justice-in-libya-reiterates-its-call-for-
accountability
Lawyers for Justice in Libya. (2020b). Unforgotten: Enforced Disappearances in Libya, pp. 6 and 12. Retrieved from https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5a0d8805f2f99e00014b1414/5f69e3002639cf6979cbc977_Unforgotten%20-%20Enforced%20Disappearances%20in%20Libya%20-%20September%202020%20Final.pdf
MENA Rights Group. (2020). Waiting for Redress: The Plight of Victims of Enforced Disappearances in Algeria, p. 16. Retrieved from https://menarights.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/MRG_Algeria_Baseline%20study_FinalDESIGN_30082020_2.pdf
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OMCT. (2005, June 10). Ethiopia: Enforced disappearance of Mr Chernet Taddesse. Retrieved from http://www.omct.org/human-rights-defenders/urgent-interventions/ethiopia/2005/06/d17479
OMCT. (2009, January 6). Localisation of Ms. Jestina Mutoto, Mr. Broderick Takawira and Mr. Pascal Gonzo, remain arbitrarily detained. Retrieved from https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/localisation-of-ms-jestina-mukoko-mr-broderick-takawira-and-mr-pascal-gonzo-who-remain-arbitrarily-detained
REDRESS (2009). Kamilya Mohammedi Tuweni. Retrieved from https://redress.org/casework/kamilya-mohammedi-tuweni/
RFI. (2019, September 21). Missing Zimbabwe doctor found but disappearances continue to rise. Retrieved from https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20190921-doctor-found-cases-disappearances-rise-zimbabwe
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central-mediterranean-timeline-rescue
UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Replies of Senegal to the list of issues in relation to the report submitted by Senegal under article 29 (1) of the Convention, 20 February 2017, C/SEN/10/1/Add.1.
UN Economic and Social Council. Civil and Political Rights, including the questions of disappearances and summary executions: Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, 23 February 2006, E/CN.4/2006/56, para. 593.
UN Economic and Social Council. Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, 15 January 1996, E.CN.4/1996/38, para. 404.
UN Human Rights Council. Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, 7 August 2020, A/HRC/45/13.
UN Human Rights Council. Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on enforced disappearances in the context of migration, 28 July 2017, A/HRC/36/29/Add.2, para 81.
VOA News. (2020, April 18). Media and Rights Groups call for immediate release of missing journalist in Mozambique. Retrieved from https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/media-and-rights-groups-call-immediate-release-missing-journalist-mozambique
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. (2016). Enforced Disappearances – An Information Guide for Human Rights Defenders and CSOs. Retrieved from https://www.zlhr.org.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Enforced-Disappearances-An-Information-Guide-for-Human-Rights-Defenders-and-CSOs.pdf
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Published
2021-12-29
How to Cite
Vicente, A., & Nudd, E. (2021). Addressing a forgotten struggle: Victims of enforced disappearance in Africa. Torture Journal, 31(2), 68–82. https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v31i2.125518
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