By Kebba AF Touray
The Gambia’s Justice Minister, Dawda Jallow has said that persecution on the grounds of political opinion contributes to widespread instability on the African continent.
Minister Jallow said this while delivering a keynote address at the opening of the NGO forum on their participation in the upcoming 81st Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, organized by the African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies.
He said that arbitrary arrests, detention without trial, and political assassinations are not uncommon.
“Persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, social group membership, or political opinion, along with civil wars, unconstitutional changes in government, external aggression, and natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and famines, contribute to widespread instability across the continent,” said Justice Minister Jallow.
He lamented that the African continent, stretching from Cape Verde to Cairo and from Banjul to Mogadishu, is marked by immense cultural, political, and socio-economic diversity.
While there has been notable growth and development across many sectors in recent years, he decried human rights issues remain a persistent challenge.
These challenges, he outlined vary across countries and regions, encompassing civil and political rights violations as well as economic, social, and cultural rights concerns.
He lamented: “Today, we face critical human rights issues that affect Africa, including those related to governance, conflict, freedom of expression, gender inequality, and socio-economic rights”.
The theme of this conference, in his view, which is premised on education, is both timely and essential, especially as we witness violations disproportionately affecting the youth, children, women, and the elderly.
He said, “Armed conflict, insecurity, terrorism, and the rise of fundamentalism continue to pose severe threats to our collective security and socio-economic development”.
Despite some progress towards democracy, Justice Minister Jallow said that many African nations remain under authoritarian rule or quasi-democratic systems, leading to the repression of opposition parties and civil society.
He told the convergence “Africa remains home to millions of refugees, as unresolved conflicts in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Central African Republic, Burundi, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Chad continue to create humanitarian crises”.
Climate change, he indicated is another significant challenge with severe consequences for fundamental rights, including the right to life and shelter.
He added that its impact is evident in the increasing frequency of droughts, floods, and other ecological disasters that exacerbate existing vulnerabilities.
Armed conflicts and violence remain major drivers of human rights violations. Long-standing conflicts have led to massive human suffering, with innocent civilians bearing the brunt—facing displacement, sexual violence, abductions, and killings.
The rise of extremist groups such as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and affiliates of the Islamic State (ISIS), according to Minister Jallow, has further destabilized local communities, severely impacting education across the continent.
He conveyed that these groups continue to commit atrocities, including targeted attacks on schools, markets, and places of worship, “women and children are particularly vulnerable, often subjected to forced marriages, sexual slavery, and recruitment as child soldiers”.
He went on to state that while peacekeeping missions and interventions have sometimes been helpful, they have not always addressed the root causes of conflict.
“International and regional organizations, including the African Union, continue to face significant challenges in mediating and restoring peace. In many cases, peace agreements remain fragile, and the absence of effective transitional justice mechanisms means that impunity persists, with perpetrators of war crimes and human rights abuses rarely held accountable,” he lamented.
He stated that Gender-based violence (GBV) and gender inequality continue to be pervasive in many African societies.
Women and girls, he said, face discrimination in education, healthcare, employment, and political participation.
He averred that harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM) and early, forced marriages persist despite efforts to eradicate them.
He pointed out: “Sexual violence, particularly in conflict zones, is another critical issue. Women and girls are often targeted as part of broader strategies of war, and perpetrators frequently evade justice. In countries like the DRC, rape has been used as a weapon of war, leaving survivors without adequate medical care or legal recourse”.
However, he said there have been positive strides toward gender equality in some African countries. Rwanda, for example, boasts one of the highest rates of female representation in parliament globally.
He said that South Africa has enacted progressive legislation to protect women’s rights, noting that much work remains to achieve true gender equality across the continent.
He said: “Education is another area where human rights are under threat. In regions affected by conflict or poverty, millions of children, especially girls, are out of school. The lack of access to quality education perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality, leaving young people without the skills they need to build better futures”.
