Human rights groups report disappearances in Congo and security crises in West Africa

The Congolese Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) has released findings from a year-long investigation into the ‘Zéro kuluna’ operation in Congo-Brazzaville. The report documents 561 young people who have reportedly disappeared since the operation began in September 2025. The initiative, ordered by President Denis Sassou Nguesso and managed by the Presidential Security Directorate, aimed to combat urban crime and youth gangs known as ‘kuluna’ or ‘bébés noirs’. Families interviewed by the OCDH reported that their children or relatives were apprehended, after which all official information regarding their whereabouts ceased.

Separately, the West African Network for Peace and Human Rights (ROAPDH) issued a statement from Lomé regarding the state of peace in West Africa. The organization highlighted that the region now accounts for over 60% of terrorism victims in Africa, noting that armed violence caused more than 15,000 civilian deaths in 2025 and displaced over 6 million people. The ROAPDH identified governance crises, climate-driven resource conflicts, and information warfare as primary threats to regional stability, calling for youth engagement to address these structural fractures.