Senegal hosts a large number of refugees from different nationalities of the sub-region and the African continent. Its asylum system causes enormous difficulties in determining refugee status. These shortcomings affect and exacerbate the suffering of these vulnerable people.
Since 1982 a conflict has erupted in the southern part of Senegal where the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) are at odds with the government of Senegal. This crisis has caused the forced displacement of thousands of people.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR When I was joining IRRI in the first quarter of 2019, I could not have imagined the dynamism and shifts we would experience by the end of 2019. We changed. Simply put. At the milestone of 15 years, we determined that we needed to re- strategise and rethink IRRI, and what…
In October 2009, the African Union adopted The Kampala Convention, (the Convention) which was designed for the protection and assistance of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Africa. It came into force in 2012, 30 days after its ratification by the 15th member state. According to paragraph k of the 1st article of the Kampala Convention,…
Failing to Prosecute Hissène Habré for Sexual Crimes Would be Missing a Historic Opportunity Mr. President of the Extraordinary African Chambers, Mr. Chief Prosecutor, We welcome the creation of the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special tribunal created by the African Union and Senegal to prosecute international crimes committed in Chad during the rule of Hissène…
Five years after the death of Congolese human rights activist, Floribert Chebeya and the disappearance of his colleague Fidèle Bazana shook the Congolese human rights community, the fight for justice continues. Although eight people have been found in connection with the case in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), activists argue that the truth is…
For years, people have wondered if Hissène Habré would ever be brought to justice. Therefore, the start of his trial in Dakar, Senegal on 20 July 2015 by the Extraordinary African Chambers marks an important turning point in the fight against impunity on the African continent. Hissène Habré has been indicted for crimes against humanity,…
June 20th marked United Nations World Refugee Day. In Senegal, IRRI marked its commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights of asylum-seekers, refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) by raising awareness among both the authorities and the Senegalese public of the conditions of refugees and of their rights under the 1951 United Nations (UN)…
For thirty two years, the armed conflict in Casamance, which has pitted the government of Senegal against separatist rebels of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), remains unresolved and the civilians displaced by it remain vulnerable. The MFDC rebellion, which is one of the oldest in Africa, is calling for the independence of…
This may be the first time that a former African Head of State is put on trial in Africa. On 8 February 2013, the Extraordinary African Chambers embedded in the Senegalese justice system were inaugurated in order to judge Hissène Habré, the former president of Chad, who ruled from 1982 to 1990. Habré has been…
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) would like to draw the attention of the authorities and Senegalese public opinion to the situation of refugees. Senegal has signed and ratified international and regional conventions relating to the 1951 UN and the 1969 OAU Conventions on refugees. In addition, Senegal…
On Monday May 7, 2013, the Senegalese authorities expelled Makaila Nguébla to Guinea Conakry. He is a Chadian blogger and activist who had lived in Senegal since May 2005. Following a similar incident in which a Gambian opposition member was arrested at the airport and expelled to Mali, this latest development calls into question the…
West Africa is not an easy place to live if you are gay. In Gambia, fifteen men were arrested in April of this year on suspicion of being gay. After almost three months they were acquitted for lack of evidence. Five of them have since fled to Senegal where they are presently seeking asylum….
The President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, speaking on July 15 at the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, reiterated his commitment to getting the trial of former Chadian President underway before the end of 2012. As the Senegalese Minister of Justice said during a press briefing, “this trial will be the…
On June 19 2012, IRRI, along with Accueil Aide et Assistance aux Réfugiés (AAAR) and Action pour les Droits Humains et l’Amitié (ADHA), organised a demonstration in Dakar to celebrate World Refugee Day. Representatives from about ten refugee communities living in Senegal participated in the celebration, including Gambians, Guineans, Ivoirians, Mauritanians, Chadians, Sudanese, Congolese, Rwandans,…