Western Sahara Defenders “Silenced” at ACHPR’s 87th Session in The Gambia

Western Sahara Defenders © Askanwi

By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT

Western Sahara human rights defenders alleged that they are being silenced in The Gambia, highlighting that their side event at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights 87th Ordinary Session was cancelled by the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre (SDKJ-ICC) yesterday, 12th May 2026.

A press release issued by the delegation of human rights defenders who travelled to The Gambia revealed that “the ACHPR Secretariat announced the event in the plenary, but it did not take place because the SDKJ-ICC abruptly cancelled the room booking, while other events in the same room had not been cancelled, and no alternative room was offered. This appears to be a targeted silencing of Sahrawi human rights defenders.”

Western Sahara is a disputed territory which the United Nations recognises as a self-governing territory currently occupied by Morocco, which maintains cordial relations with The Gambia. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic / Western Sahara is a recognised state by the African Union and is a party to the ACHPR, which the session aims to promote.

Morocco, which occupies a large portion of Western Sahara, is not a party to the ACHPR. However, Morocco has been a member of the African Union since January 2017 after three decades of absence from the AU.

Speaking to journalists outside the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center, the Western Sahara defenders revealed that they “were informed by the Conference Center late on 11th May 2026 that they would not be able to host the side event despite the prior booking, transfer of deposit, and confirmation of the event room.”

It is understood that the ACHPR did not sanction the cancellation. However, it is still unclear who ordered it. As the host, The Gambia is duty-bound to provide a safe space for advocates without interfering in their lawful activities. However, it appears this may no longer be the case, with advocates understood to have been stopped by authorities in The Gambia.

Our reporter is aware that security officials from the State Intelligence Services are stationed at the SDKJ-ICC together with a heavy police presence at the venue, which is often secured by military officials when the President and other high-profile delegates are in attendance.

According to the Western Sahara defenders, who are unsure whether their second event tomorrow will take place, the “cancellation risks undermining the Commission’s commitment to openness, participation, and civic space protection, and compromises the civic space that the ACHPR is committed to upholding as part of its mandate. Any attempts to exert external pressure to undermine the Commission’s independence and silence civil society are unacceptable and must be rejected.”

The statement concludes by requesting “that the Commission take urgent steps to ensure the meaningful participation and safety of Sahrawi human rights defenders during the current session and support the reinstatement of the room booking so that the side event may take place on 14th May 2026 at the Conference Centre.”

Askanwi will follow up with a request for information on the reasons for the cancellation and clarification on who ordered it.