Amdalai, North Bank Region – 18th August 2025. The Governments of The Gambia and Senegal officially launched a week-long Cross-Border Engagement Meeting at the Amdalai Border Crossing Point. The initiative brings together national institutions, border agencies, and international partners to strengthen cooperation, promote integrated border management, and improve the safety and well-being of border communities. More in the news report.

The recent death of prominent activist Alain Christophe Traoré in custody and a series of cybercrime trials against journalists underscore the rapid erosion of civic space in the Sahel. Transitional military governments are increasingly using anti-cybercrime laws to silence critics, raising alarm over freedom of expression and human rights in the region. More in the report.

The Gambia has welcomed 20 Nigerian professors and lecturers who will serve in key universities and higher education bodies for the next two years in a move aimed at strengthening the country’s academic and institutional capacity. More in the news report.

In Mali and Burkina Faso, authorities are intensifying their suppression of civil liberties, targeting journalists, artists, and public figures with arrests, travel bans, and intimidation. Despite widespread condemnation from human rights groups and calls for transparency, these actions persist unchecked, reflecting a growing pattern of impunity that threatens freedom of expression and democratic participation across the Sahel region. More in the report.

What appears to be a clean waterway by day transforms into a dumping ground by night. In communities along the Kotu and Manjai streams, residents say their lives are being upended by clandestine waste disposal and blocked channels that turn seasonal rains into destructive floods. More in the news report.

Haunted by memories of the brutal 2005 massacre of over 50 West African migrants in The Gambia, relatives of the victims returned to Banjul 20 years later to demand justice, the exhumation and return of their loved ones’ remains, and an increase in compensation to $1 million per victim.

Marking two decades since the killings, the delegation submitted a petition to Gambian authorities, calling for concrete action to prosecute former President Yahya Jammeh and to fully implement the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission’s recommendations.

More in the report.

With climate change and food insecurity threatening livelihoods across the continent, youth from six West African countries came together in The Gambia to craft bold, innovative solutions for transforming the region’s food systems. More in the press release.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) warns of worsening press freedom in the Sahel, where military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Guinea are cracking down on journalists and activists. The MFWA urges regional and international bodies to act quickly to protect democracy and free expression. More in the publication.

Since 2020, the Sahel region has witnessed a surge of military coups that have toppled civilian governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, ushering in junta regimes with little to no constitutional oversight. This upheaval has led to systematic restrictions on fundamental freedoms—particularly freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to assemble—dramatically shrinking civic space and threatening the very foundations of democracy across the region. More in the publication.

In 2023, The Gambia ranked 5th in Africa and 46th globally, positioned between the United States and South Korea. However, this year, the country has fallen to 11th place, marking a setback for the ambitious goal set by the new Information Minister to make The Gambia the top-ranked country in Africa for press freedom. Achieving this target will require strong political will and critical legal reforms to surpass Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other African nations. More on this in the full report.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has withdrawn its mission from Guinea-Bissau following threats of expulsion by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. More in the report.

ECOWAS issues statement on withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the ECOWAS. More in this press release.

The Gambia Bar Association welcomes the ECOWAS approval of the establishment of a Special Tribunal in The Gambia to prosecute alleged perpetrators who bear the most responsibility for human rights violations that occurred during the era of former President Jammeh.

The Gambia hosted the inaugural West African Youth Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo from 6th to 7th December 2024. More in the news report.

The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network with the support of the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Dévelopment, recently presented its situation reports on Human Rights Defenders in ten African countries during a side event at the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

A report issued in 2024 highlights that over 2.8 million children have been impacted in 2024 after over 14,000 schools were closed. This number increased from 2.5 million children impacted in 2023 when some 13,000 schools were closed. More in this report.

Askanwi conducted a two day in house training for journalists organised by Fact Space West Africa / Ghana Fact on September 30th and October 1st 2024 on FactChecking.