Africa lost more than 785 people in January 2022
Report | Times of Sudan – Maat
Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights stated that, during January, 2022, at least 785 people have been killed in Africa, and that West Africa region was the worst affected by about 351 victims, mainly due to the attacks that took place in Nigeria, especially during the first week of January, as well as the high death toll in Burkina Faso due to the deteriorating security situation in the country in wake of the recent events related to the military coup.
Reaching an immediate solution to the escalating violations in the Ethiopian Tigray region is no longer an option
Ayman Okeil – the international human rights expert and the president of Maat for Peace
This was detailed in in a report issued by Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights on the most prominent terrorist operations and counter-terrorism efforts in Africa for January 2022, to track the path of terrorist groups, and to come up with recommendations and estimates of the current and future security situation in Africa.
The report highlighted that West Africa ranked first in terms of the number of casualties. In the first week of January alone, Nigeria recorded over 200 deaths, which amounted to 302 by the end of the month. East Africa ranked second in terms of the number of deaths, with 337 dead, including 116 from Ethiopia, due to the air raids launched by the Ethiopian government on the camps for the displaced in the Tigray region.
Ayman Okeil, the international human rights expert and the president of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights expressed his concern about the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Ethiopian Tigray region, as the death toll rose alarmingly in January. In this context, Okeil urges the UN and African Mechanisms as well as all concerned bodies to settle disputes and reach an immediate solution for the grave violations of humanitarian and human rights situation in the Tigray region.
Countries’ experiences in eliminating terrorism needs to be shared with African countries
Mariam Salah – a researcher at the African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit at Maat
Mariam Salah, a researcher at the African Affairs and Sustainable Development Unit at Maat, pointed out that despite the slight decrease in the number of deaths this month, African countries still have a long way to go before eliminating terrorism from its roots. The researcher also appreciates the efforts of North Africa in developing strategies to eliminate terrorism and calls on governments to share their experiences in curbing terrorism with other African countries.
Notably, Africa comes among the issues of interest to Maat for Peace, Development and Human rights, being a member of the General Assembly for the Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) of the Africa Union (AU).
Moreover, Maat serves as an Observer in the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and as a Northern African Coordinator in the NGO Major Group-Africa of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
