Overview

Major armed conflicts in the region continued largely unabated, while diplomatic efforts to end them failed to stop associated violations, protect civilians or hold perpetrators to account. External actors continued to fuel the conflicts, including by supplying ammunition and weapons to the parties involved.

The AU’s 2014 goal to “eliminate hunger and food insecurity by 2025” was unrealized. Fragile health systems in the region came under further strain due to US government aid cuts, resulting in essential health services being reduced, suspended or cancelled.

Governments treated protests as a threat, violently dispersing, unduly restricting or banning them. Repression escalated in the context of elections, with military-led regimes clamping down on critical voices in the name of national security.

Millions of people continued to be displaced by conflict and climate-induced disasters, with Sudan remaining the scene of the largest and fastest-growing displacement crisis worldwide.

Governments and the international community failed to protect people in the region from droughts and floods exacerbated by climate change.

Societal norms and anti-rights actors continued to fuel discrimination and gender-based violence against women and girls. Meanwhile, governments weaponized legal systems to target and discriminate against LGBTI people.

Authorities undermined efforts to combat impunity and to ensure accountability, jeopardizing access to justice and effective remedies for victims and survivors of the most serious crimes.

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