ACHPR
Human Rights our Collective Responsibility
83rd Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
2 to 22 May 2025
INTERSESSION REPORT
By
Ms. Selma SASSI-SAFER
Commissioner of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
&
Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa
An Organ of the African Union
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights 31 Bijilo Annex Layout, Kombo North District, West Coast Region Phone: (220) 230 4361 Fax: (220) 441 05 04 Email: au-banjul@africa-union.org https://achpr.au.int/
I. INTRODUCTION
- The present report gives an account, pursuant to Rules 25(3) and 64 of the Rules of Procedure (2020) of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Commission), of the activities for the promotion and protection of human rights carried out during the intersessional period since the 81st Ordinary Session of the Commission held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 17 October to 6 November 2024.
- The report outlines the activities carried out in my capacity as Commissioner, member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, as well as those undertaken under the mandate entrusted to me as Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa, pursuant to Resolution ACHPR/Res.577 (LXXVII) 2023 on the appointment of the Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa.
- It also provides an overview of the ratification status of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), as well as that of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights Relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and Eradication of Statelessness in Africa.
- The report includes an analysis of the situation of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and migrants across the continent, as well as an assessment of the human rights situation in the countries under my purview. It concludes with a set of recommendations addressed to various stakeholders.
II. ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL MECHANISM
A. PROTECTION ACTIVITIES
- In the exercise of the protection and promotion mandate entrusted to me as Country Rapporteur and Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants in Africa, I carried out the following activities:
1) Urgent Appeals
- Joint urgent appeal letter concerning the situation of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and NGOs providing humanitarian assistance in the State of Libya, following a disinformation campaign on social media. (Libya, 28 April 2025)
- Joint urgent appeal letter on the detention of Moussa Tiangari, a journalist and secretary-general of Citizens' Alternative Spaces (Alternative espaces citoyens, AEC) by the Nigerien state (Niger, 3 April 2025)
- Joint urgent appeal letter on the alleged human rights violations against the Amhara people in Ethiopia. (Ethiopia, 23 January 2025),