African rights body raises alarm over treatment of Niger’s Mahamid Arabs Rights commission appeals to Niger president over alleged abuses against Mahamid. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has appealed to Niger’s president over alleged violations of the fundamental rights of the country’s Arab Mahamid community, amid reports of restrictions on access to water, education, healthcare and identity documents. In an urgent appeal sent to President Abdourahamane Tchiani on November 6
11/11/26 • 4 vistas
Rights commission appeals to Niger president over alleged abuses against Mahamid.
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has appealed to Niger’s president over alleged violations of the fundamental rights of the country’s Arab Mahamid community, amid reports of restrictions on access to water, education, healthcare and identity documents.
In an urgent appeal sent to President Abdourahamane Tchiani on November 6, three commission representatives raised concerns about the treatment of the community in the southeastern Diffa region. The appeal was made public on November 9.
The signatories included the commissioner responsible for the human rights situation in Niger and the heads of two working groups covering economic, social and cultural rights, and the rights of Indigenous populations, communities and minorities.
The Mahamid are an Arab community with historical links to Chad and Sudan. Many live in Niger’s Diffa region. Some families have been settled there for generations, following successive waves of migration from neighbouring countries.
Disputes over their nationality and identity documents have repeatedly put them at odds with the authorities.
Officials have accused some Mahamid residents of obtaining nationality documents fraudulently, trafficking arms and having links to armed groups around the Lake Chad basin.
At a security meeting in Diffa on August 22, Governor Mahamadou Ibrahim Bagadoma and other officials discussed nationality papers, cross-border movement and security, as well as tensions over water and grazing land, according to state news agency ANP.
ANP reported that Bagadoma warned against holding the entire Arab community responsible for allegations involving particular individuals. The accusations have not been independently verified.
The appeal comes amid reports of measures restricting the Mahamid’s access to basic services and official documents.
Artículos relacionados
