UPgrades

In East Africa, Sudan’s military government continued its crackdown on democracy protests and activism following a second coup on 25 October 2021, killing scores of protesters and detaining hundreds of people, often subjecting them to torture and sexual violence. In Ethiopia, as conflict in Tigray and other areas continued in 2022, the authorities targeted, intimidated and punished journalists and media outlets reporting on the war.

Both Burundi and South Sudan have seen their civic space rating move from closed to repressed. In Burundi, although civic space remains severely restricted, a slight initial improvement was seen after President Evariste Ndayishimiye came into power in 2020, with at least 5,000 prisoners, including journalists and CSO representatives, pardoned. Similarly, while conditions remain severely restricted in South Sudan, a slight improvement in civic space was noted with an increased number of protests being documented.

In Southern Africa, the authorities in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have proposed or enacted restrictive laws on CSOs, raising fear of increasing restrictions of freedom of association. In South Africa, the killing of activists working on land rights and the rights of informal settlement dwellers, and the vilification of CSOs by government officials and non-state actors are causes for grave concern. Lesotho sees its civic space downgraded to repressed due to continuing police brutality, increasing intimidation and attacks on journalists and the use of lethal weapons in response to a student protest in June 2022, which led to the killing of a protester.

LGBTQI+ RIGHTS AND GROUPS UNDER ATTACK

In 2022, LGBTQI+ rights and sexual and gender minority groups continued to be targeted in several countries in Africa. These groups were the most involved in civic space incidents, mentioned in 16 per cent of CIVICUS Monitor updates. In Ghana, the draconian ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill’, introduced in the National Assembly in June 2021, created a hostile environment for sexual and gender minorities, leading to multiple forms of human rights violations, including attacks, physical violence and arbitrary arrests. In Senegal, a similar far-reaching anti-LGBTQI+ draft law was drafted by 11 legislators. However, it was blocked from being considered by the Office of the National Assembly, as the Penal Code already criminalises same-sex relations.

In August 2022, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO Bureau) in Uganda suspended the operations of CSO Sexual Minorities Uganda

(SMUG). Prior to its suspension, SMUG and its staff were harassed through surveillance, arrests and prosecution. In Eswatini in April 2022, the High Court held that LGBTQI+ people have a constitutional right to equality but this right is subject to the laws of the country, and therefore the refusal of authorities to register the CSO Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities as a legal entity was deemed lawful by the High Court.

In Kenya, LGBTQI+ people continue to be targeted, harassed, attacked and killed. The Kenya Film Classification Board’s acting head, Christopher Wambua, said in September 2022 that all movies with LGBTQI+ content are forbidden in Kenya. In Tanzania in September 2022, Information Minister Nape Nnauye warned against the promotion of same-sex relations on social media.