Hello Friends,
All eyes and ears were on Tanzania as we got into November, following the general elections and the troubling reports of post-election violence. What should have been a moment of democratic expression quickly descended into unrest, with clashes reported in several regions and allegations of excessive force by security agencies. The unfolding events offered a stark reminder of the fragile state of democracy in the region and the urgent need for stronger safeguards to protect citizens’ rights and electoral integrity.
In the midst of the unfolding situation in Tanzania, we gathered in Kampala to commemorate DefendDefenders’ 20 years of protecting and promoting the rights and work of human rights defenders across the continent. The milestone convening, held from 4–5 November, offered a timely moment to reflect on key achievements, confront emerging challenges, and strategise for the future amid an increasingly complex global human rights landscape. The event brought together approximately 200 HRDs from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia and Somaliland, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Over the two days, panel discussions and side conversations with participants highlighted the importance of intergenerational mentorship, reflected on the challenges posed by a shifting global order, recognised the value of community philanthropy in sustaining the movement, and examined how digital transformation is reshaping activism. DefendDefenders also looked ahead to the future of human rights work, launching an Endowment Fund and a Mentorship Programme—key initiatives aimed at ensuring the sustainability, protection, and growth of human rights work for generations to come.
For the past nine months, our Advocacy and Research team, together with AfricanDefenders, has been conducting extensive research on the right to protest across the African continent. During the celebrations, we launched a landmark report titled “They Won’t Silence the People,” one of the most ambitious studies ever published on the right to protest in Africa. The report examines peaceful protests across the continent, the value of protest as a tool for democratic participation, relevant international and African human rights standards, the scope of the right to protest, and emerging trends. It also provides an in-depth assessment of four focus countries—Mozambique, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda—offering comparative analyses that highlight both patterns of violations and examples of good practice
On the advocacy front, it was encouraging to see the Human Rights Council heed our call, and that of civil society, by convening a special session on 14 November to address the situation in and around El Fasher. It showed that the world is attentive to the cry of the people of Sudan. We issued a press release welcoming the international spotlight on El Fasher atrocities but urged the UN to allocate more resources to the Fact Finding Mission( FFM) for Sudan and continued attention to violations by all parties to the conflict, with accountability at the centre of global efforts to stop the violence in Sudan.
Hassan Shire
Executive Director, DefendDefenders
Chairperson, AfricanDefendersHello Friends,
Human Rights Defender of the Month:Hadiza Malumfashi
On the night of 14 April 2014, dozens of Boko Haram fighters stormed a girls’ school dormitory in Chibok, a small Christian enclave in northern Nigeria. 276 schoolgirls, most of them between the ages of 16 and 18, were forced at gunpoint into the forest after militants set the school ablaze. As the world woke up to the horror of the Chibok abductions, a ten-year-old Hadiza Malumfashi sat in front of the news, devastated and full of questions.
“How is it that terrorists can enter a school, pick up students, and nothing happens?” she recalls. “It was heartbreaking. I paused for a moment and said, how is that even possible? How is that possible? It lit a flame in me — this anger.”
That question stayed with her for years. By 2020, at just 16, Hadiza decided she could no longer remain silent. Using the Instagram following she had built through motivational videos, she recorded a message reminding Nigerians about how many years had gone by since the Chibok attack. She urged her audience to wear white in a collective call for peace.
” That video is still on my account,” she says. “A lot of them were saying ‘Peace in Nigeria, peace in Nigeria.’ And that was where it started from.”
Updates from DefendDefenders
Between 17–21 November, DefendDefenders conducted a follow-up training of trainers in security management for 20 Sudanese human rights defenders (HRDs). The training aimed to strengthen the resilience and safety of Sudanese HRDs by enhancing their capacity to manage risks effectively. This initiative sought to build a cadre of skilled trainers capable of equipping both frontline and exiled HRDs with practical tools to mitigate threats in their daily work. Additionally, it focused on improving the overall knowledge and skills of Sudanese HRDs, both inside Sudan and in exile, on safety and security management.
Between 17–21 November 2025, DefendDefenders conducted a training on Monitoring, Documenting, and Reporting for 18 exiled Sudanese HRDs. The training built upon previous learning on human rights mechanisms, enhanced participants’ technical skills, and emphasized coordinated, secure, and standardized documentation practices. The objective was to ensure that the knowledge gained would directly contribute to both regional and international accountability mechanisms on Sudan. By the end of the training, participants established a collective initiative aimed at supporting accountability mechanisms for Sudan. Their mandate includes identifying, verifying, and documenting significant human rights violations and cases relevant to their scope of work.
From 17–28 November 2025, DefendDefenders conducted Security Management trainings for journalists across Uganda, with two sessions held concurrently in Hoima and Jinja between 17 -21 November 2025 and later in Kampala between 24- 28 November 2025. A total of 41 journalists participated in these five-day capacity-building trainings, which focused on both physical and digital security. The overall objective was to strengthen the capacity of rural and community journalists and media houses to effectively respond to and mitigate imminent digital and physical security threats.
From 26 – 27 November 2025, DefendDefenders organized a two-day risk assessment engagement for 12 Sudanese Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Nairobi, Kenya. The engagement aimed to provide a safe and structured space for participants to discuss safety and security threats, conduct a collective risk analysis, and develop practical safety and security plans to enable Sudanese HRDs to continue their work effectively while in exile.
From 1–7 November 2025, AfricanDefenders and DefendDefenders participated in the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) hosted by CIVICUS and the Asia Democracy Network in Thailand. The event featured over 120 sessions focused on networking, collaboration, and solidarity, with DefendDefenders recognised as a key partner in Africa.
From 25-27 November 2025, we worked with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) to provide support to a Rwandan HRD delegation attending the UPR Info “pre-sessions” and engaging in advocacy with states. The Observatoire des Droits de l’Homme au Rwanda (ODHR) and the Réseau International pour la Promotion et la Défense des Droits de l’Homme au Rwanda (RIPRODHOR) submitted UPR stakeholder reports. DefendDefenders also submitted a report with ODHR ahead of the UPR of Rwanda, which will take place on 21 January 2026.
Between 28–30 November 2025, AfricanDefenders and DefendDefenders participated in the 3rd Africa Women Human Rights Defenders Convention in Gaborone, Botswana. Held under the theme “Streams of Freedom!”, the Convention brought together women human rights defenders (WHRDs), allies, and partners to celebrate achievements and strengthen solidarity. Key topics discussed included ending femicide, climate justice, and digital freedoms. The event also introduced the creative WHRD StoryBank, designed to document experiences and enhance collective action.
From 1- 31 November 2025, DefendDefenders’ emergency protection program received 51 requests for emergency assistance. 19 requests were positively responded to with the requested and appropriate emergency interventions. 28 individuals have indirectly benefited from the awarded assistance. 17 requests for assistance were not approved due to various reasons, while 3 requests have been made as referrals to other protection service providers. 12 requests are still under the verification process.