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UN Human Rights in Africa UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD UN Human Rights in Africa G5 Sahel – LEGEND: Mali G5 Sahel – G5 Sahel – Niger Niger G5 Sahel – Mauritania**** (MINUSMA) Mali**** Niger**** Chad**** Mauritania Chad Spotlights: West Africa Sudan (Dakar) Disa bili ties Guinea-Bissau Sudan (UNIOGBIS) (UNAMID/UNITAMS) Youth Guinea-Bissau East Africa (Addis Ababa) Women Guinea Somalia (UNSOM) Liberia South Sudan (UNMISS) Shifts: G5 Sahel – Burkina Faso**** Kenya Global constituency Burkina Faso Uganda Nigeria Prevention Malawi UN Sub-Regional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Madagascar Civic space Central Africa (Yaoundé) Burundi Climate change Central African Republic Southern Africa (MINUSCA) (Pretoria) Rwanda Democratic Republic of the Corruption Zimbabwe Congo (MONUSCO) Lesotho Mozambique Inequalities TYPE OF PRESENCE LOCATION Country/Stand-alone Offices/Human Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan and New technologies Rights Missions Uganda People on the move Central Africa (Yaoundé, Cameroon), East Africa (Addis Regional Offices/Centres Ababa, Ethiopia), Southern Africa (Pretoria, South Africa) and West Africa (Dakar, Senegal) SDGs: Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Democratic Republic Human rights components of the Congo (MONUSCO/UNJHRO), Guinea-Bissau of UN Peace/Political Missions (UNIOGBIS)1, Mali (MINUSMA), Somalia (UNSOM), South Sudan (UNMISS) and Sudan (UNAMID/UNITAMS)2 Burkina Faso*, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Human Rights Advisers Madagascar*, Malawi*, Niger, Nigeria*, Rwanda and Zimbabwe* G5 Sahel Joint Force Compliance Framework Project3, Other types of field presences Mozambique * Human Rights Advisers deployed under the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. 1 The UN Integrated Peacekeeping Office in Guinea-Bissau completed its Security Council mandate on 31 December 2020. 2 The Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2559 on 22 December 2020, which ended the mandate of UNAMID on 31 December 2020. Security Council resolution 2524, of 3 June 2020, established the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) with a strong human rights and civilian protection mandate. OHCHR has been taking steps to ensure the full implementation of the human rights mandate under Security Council resolution 2524 and under the Host Country Agreement. This will require the integration of the OHCHR Country Office within UNITAMS in 2021, in accordance with the OHCHR/DPKO/DPA/DFS Policy on Human Rights in UN Peace Operations and Political Missions of 2011. 3 Further to Security Council resolution 2391 (December 2017), OHCHR supported the G5 Sahel Joint Force with the establishment of a Compliance Framework to ensure that military operations to combat terrorism in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. UN Human Rights Report 2020 225 UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD In 2020, UN Human Rights increased its and social rights triggered a severe eco- In the East and Horn of Africa, ethnic footprint in Africa, including through the nomic contraction, risking a reversal violence and extreme poverty were major establishment of fully mandated country of the progress made in achieving the challenges in 2020. The region was offices in Niger and Sudan. Agreements Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). affected by several separate and interre- were also concluded for the deployment While governments generally responded lated conflicts. Ethiopia experienced a of human rights advisers (HRAs) in effectively to the pandemic by implement- new conflict in the Tigray region, with Burundi, Guinea-Bissau and Lesotho. ing health measures, curfews and other serious violations of international human The OHCHR Africa programme covers restrictions, such measures were at times rights and humanitarian law committed 49 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and disproportionately used to restrict human by all sides, that spilled over to neighbour- consists of 26 field presences, including rights. In some countries, this included ing countries. The conflicts in Ethiopia four regional offices in Central Africa, arbitrary arrests and detentions, excessive and Somalia resulted in thousands of East Africa, Southern Africa and West use of force by law enforcement and mil- people being displaced and refugees flee- Africa; seven country offices in Chad, itary personnel, restrictions on freedom ing into neighbouring countries, with Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, of expression, resulting in a shrinking significant humanitarian and protection Sudan and Uganda; 10 HRAs in the UN civic space and an increased prevalence needs. Civic space and media freedoms Country Teams (UNCTs) in Burkina of sexual and gender-based violence. The were curtailed, with reports of arbitrary Faso, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, pandemic also made it clear that when arrests and threats against human rights Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, maximum available resources are not defenders (HRDs), political opponents, Rwanda and Zimbabwe; and seven human directed to progressively realize economic journalists and social media activists, in rights presences in UN peace missions and social rights during periods of eco- particular in the context of elections in in the Central African Republic (CAR), nomic growth, conditions are created for Tanzania and Uganda. the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased poverty and inequality and ret- (DRC), Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Somalia, rogression in the enjoyment of economic, In Southern Africa, which recorded over South Sudan and Sudan (Darfur). social and cultural rights (ESCRs) and the half of the number of cases of COVID-19 achievement of the SDGs. in Sub-Saharan Africa, pandemic-re- In Geneva, the Office provides support lated restrictions had an acute impact on to five special procedures country man- In this context, OHCHR shifted the focus people’s livelihoods. High rates of unem- dates, namely, Somalia (1993), Sudan of its work to addressing the human rights ployment and limited social protection 13 (1993) , Eritrea (2012), Mali (2013) impacts of the pandemic and support- schemes affecting millions of people led to and CAR (2013) and to the work of ing government responses. The Office social unrest and protests. Drought, flash the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi worked with UNCTs, Member States, floods and cyclones increased food insecu- (2016), the Commission on Human the African Union (AU) and its organs rity and the loss of livelihoods, especially Rights in South Sudan (2016) and the and with national human rights institu- in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Team of International Experts on the sit- tions (NHRIs) and CSOs to monitor the uation in Kasai (2017). impacts of COVID-19 and government In Central Africa and the Lake Chad measures on human rights and to subse- Basin, attacks by Boko Haram and other In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed quently raise awareness. The information Islamic insurgents increased, result- a significant challenge for already frag- gathered by the Office was used to inform ing in insecurity for civilians and the ile governance systems and economies in policy documents and guidelines for displacement of thousands of people, Africa. It had devastating effects on the UNCTs and governments, ensure the inte- with women and girls facing a height- region’s economy and industrialization gration of a human rights-based approach ened risk of conflict-related sexual efforts. The resulting acute food insecu- (HRBA) and a gender perspective into violence (CRSV). General insecurity rity and negative impacts on economic COVID-19 responses in Africa, including was at times compounded by excessive Socio-Economic Response Plans (SERPs). counter-terrorism responses. Climate 13 The mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan ended on 6 change also adversely affected livelihoods, October 2020, in accordance with Human Rights resulting in forced displacement and Council resolution 45/25. intensified conflicts between farmers and 226 UN Human Rights Report 2020 UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD herders, exacerbating existing fragilities rights by internal security forces in Economic Community of West African and underlying conflict triggers. Political Chad, Mauritania and Niger, including States (ECOWAS) and the International developments were influenced by elections by strengthening the capacity of NHRIs Conference for the Great Lakes Region in 2020 and those planned for 2021 and and CSOs to monitor and report on vio- (ICGLR). On 9 December 2019, the joint electoral preparations and funding that lations of international human rights law AU-UN Framework on Human Rights were impacted by COVID-19. This led and international humanitarian law. The concluded at the technical level and, in to increased political tensions in several Office continued to provide technical February 2020, it received leadership-level countries. In Cameroon, continued vio- assistance to the G5 Sahel Joint Force on approval. The Framework is expected to lence in the North-West and South-West the development of rules and regulations be signed by UN and AU Principals in regions led to increased human rights that are compliant with international 2021. OHCHR also supported regional violations against civilians and forced human rights law and international organizations, particularly the AU, with displacement and hampered humanitar- humanitarian law and regarding the the elaboration of laws and
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