Africa

Kinshasa, April 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the release of Congolese community radio director Espoir Mbata, who was detained by M23 rebels on Sunday over his WhatsApp post about their potential withdrawal from an eastern town.   “Working conditions have becoming increasingly hazardous for journalists in the eastern Democratic Republic of the…

Bola Ahmed TinubuPresident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Sent via email Dear President Tinubu, We, the undersigned Nigerian and international press freedom organizations, write to express alarm over Vice President Kashim Shettima Mustapha’s recent remarks suggesting that no journalists have been harassed in Nigeria since you took office. This mischaracterization conveys a grave indifference…

Kampala, March 30, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately disclose whether they have detained journalist and activist Arnold Anthony Mukose and to ensure his safe return, following his forcible disappearance in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Sunday. “The brazen seizure of Arnold Anthony Mukose in broad daylight, outside a radio…

Abuja, March 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to swiftly and transparently conclude investigations into the beating by police officers on Sunday of journalist Muhammad Sani Adamu, and hold those responsible to account. The attack occurred as Adamu sought to cover Eid celebrations in the town of Bununu in northeastern Bauchi…

Dakar, March 24, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Malian authorities to release journalist Youssouf Sissoko, who was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison and a fine of 1 million West African francs (US$1,759) for offending a foreign head of state by publishing a commentary piece that criticized Niger’s president. “The severity…

Lusaka, March 20, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on South African authorities to act swiftly on a criminal case of assault, robbery, intimidation, and malicious damage to the property of two journalists covering a protest in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province for The Witness newspaper. The police have not made any arrests, The Witness’ news editor…

Kampala, March 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Tuesday’s ruling by the Constitutional Court of Uganda to declare criminal defamation unconstitutional, the latest African court to abolish the crime in recent years. In a consolidated judgment, in response to three petitions filed by rights groups in 2022, the court also nullified the Computer Misuse…

Journalists in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo face constant danger as warring parties seek to control information.  In January, February, and early March, government forces and rebel groups both detained journalists over their reporting, including several for simply conducting interviews, while the rebel forces that control parts of the country’s eastern provinces held military positions in…

Kampala, March 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Friday’s decision by Kenya’s Court of Appeal to strike down sections of the 2018 cybercrime law as a major victory for freedom of expression and the press. The Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) challenged 26 provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018, arguing that…

New York, March 6, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the release of journalist Ahmed-Zaki Ibrahim Mohamud, who has been held without formal charges since February 22 in the breakaway region of Somaliland. That evening, unidentified individuals raided the offices of the online outlet Warrame Media in the capital, Hargeisa, and arrested Ahmed-Zaki, its…