Browsing: Human Rights Watch

• Authorities across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sudan harassed activists and government critics in spirited attempt to suppress dissent in 2024.
• Human Rights Watch says harassment, intimidation, and arrests of journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition figures intensified.
• In Kenya, senior government officials including President William Ruto threatened the courts for making decisions unfavourable to his administration.

Millions of civilians across countries in East Africa bore the brunt of human rights violations orchestrated by either government security organs or armed groups in 2024, further deteriorating the region’s respect for human rights, a new report by Washington-based Human Rights Watch states.

According to the group’s World Report 2025, authorities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Sudan continued to harass activists and government critics in their spirited attempt to suppress dissent during the year under review.

“Armed forces and armed groups in Sudan and Ethiopia have deliberately targeted civilians and …

• Human Rights Watch says that the focus should be on progressive revenue generation and accountability over public funds.
• HRW further recommends strengthening social contract to address the root causes of protester anger.
• Finance Bill 2024, in the context of an IMF program with Kenya, was expected to raise US$2.7 billion in additional revenues in the upcoming fiscal year, in part to meet IMF targets.

IMF programs implementation

The Kenyan government and International Monetary Fund should work together to ensure that the IMF program and its implementation align with human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The focus should be on progressive revenue generation and accountability over public funds.

Following the recent nationwide protests, President William Ruto declined to sign Finance Bill 2024, which included regressive tax measures that risked undermining rights. Any alternative measures should relieve economic pressures by addressing the root causes of protesters’ anger.

“The widespread …

• The civil society has opposed Somalia plan to reduce Adult Age to 15 
• Under Somalia’s provisional constitution, a child is defined as a person under the age of 18.
• he proposed amendments also include physical development as the determining factor in a person’s majority.

Somalia’s parliament should reject any proposed constitutional amendments that would weaken rights protections for children, Human Rights Watch has said.

On March 30, 2024, both houses of parliament are expected to vote on the proposed amendments, which would reduce the age of majority – increasing the risk of child marriage and lowered juvenile justice standards – and possibly permit certain forms of female genital mutilation.…

By 2022, France plans to reduce and move its troops and will be restricted to regions that are not strategic for combating terrorism, which indicates that they will probably only act in the security of specific points, such as diplomatic and international organizations facilities.

That ends the so-called “Operation Barkhane”, which was a military mission marked by a tactic of permanent occupation of the Sahel countries by French troops.

The French government, however, apparently will try to reorganize its strategy in Africa. It seems that the focus of action will turn to the Gulf of Guinea.…

Tanzania and World Bank have been close development partners for more than 54 years, and throughout the years—Tanzania has benefited from several funds that tap into the core of transforming the development landscape in one of the largest economies in East Africa.

According to World Bank, in the last 50 years, the cooperation between the Bank Group and the Government has grown in financing, grants, policy advice, and research; covering various areas from macroeconomic management to projects in transport, energy, education, health, and other key sectors for both Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar’s development.

Recently the government of Tanzania has experienced a hard-time securing a $500 million education loan from World Bank, scheduled to revitalize the crucial sector in Tanzania.

The loan could be largest financial assistance provided to Tanzania within the past three years aimed at the education sector.

And yet—the loan has been delayed, in the wake of human …