Africa

World Refugee Day draws attention to journalists who have been forced to flee their home countries due to threats, conflict, or repression. While exile is now recognized as a growing reality for journalists worldwide, the experiences of journalists CPJ supported last year reflect the reality that relocation does not necessarily bring safety. Increasingly, journalists in…

New York, June 17, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Mozambican authorities to return the equipment of prominent investigative journalist Estacio Valoi and to end the intimidation of reporters covering environmental crimes and conflict in northern Cabo Delgado province. On June 16, three National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) agents went to Valoi’s home in…

Dakar, June 16, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Malian authorities to release two prominent journalists imprisoned last week for criticizing the country’s embattled military government over its press freedom record and losses to insurgents. “Malian authorities must stop their frenzied arrests of journalists, drop the charges against Abdrahamane Keïta and Chahana Takiou, and…

New York, June 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ethiopian authorities to reverse the expulsion of French journalist Augustine Passilly following her reporting trip to the northern state of Tigray, where residents spoke out about their fears of a return to war. “Ethiopia’s expulsion of Augustine Passilly is a blatant act of retaliation…

Dakar, 10 June 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Comorian authorities to release journalist Toufé Maecha who was arrested on Monday at his home in the capital, Moroni, over his reports in La Gazette des Comores about the ill-health of a jailed former president. “Comoros authorities should refrain from cavalierly arresting journalists for their…

When Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama took office in January 2025, pledging to restore “an era of true media freedom,” journalists had reason to hope that attacks on the press would be taken more seriously than before. But during Mahama’s tenure, CPJ has documented eight separate incidents in which at least 17 journalists were attacked…

Journalist René Capain Bassène devoted his career to restoring peace to Senegal’s troubled Casamance region. The government accused him of being a rebel who ordered the murder of 14 men and jailed him for life. Now a rebel leader and a U.S. diplomat involved in peace negotiations have refuted the prosecution’s fundamentally flawed theory. The…

In the three years since Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, journalists have been repeatedly arrested, attacked, and harassed — yet, the government has sought to deny this reality. Vice President Kashim Shettima suggested in February that no journalists have been harassed in Nigeria since Tinubu took office, despite extensive…

In the countdown to Ethiopia’s general election, journalist Bewket Abebe flew to the northern border town of Humera, in a rare attempt at on-the-ground reporting ahead of the June 1 vote. Bewket, chief editor of The Reporter Magazine, was scheduled to meet the administrator of the contested territory, which is claimed by both Tigray and…

Abuja, May 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to swiftly identify and hold to account at least 15 men who assaulted journalist Allwell Ene as he was investigating an alleged phone scam in the southern city of Port Harcourt. Police spokesperson Blessing Agabe announced on World Press Freedom Day, May 3,…