JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 5, 2025 — More than 20 leading African civil society organizations today publicly condemned the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) for sending a congratulatory letter to Cameroon’s President Paul Biya following his victory in a disputed election. The groups argue the Commission’s action compromises its independence and undermines human rights protection across the continent.
The open letter, signed by 21 organizations including the African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders and Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, expressed “deep concern and disappointment” over the ACHPR’s Oct. 27 letter to Biya on his seventh-term presidential announcement.
The civil society coalition asserts that the Commission’s endorsement came despite widespread allegations of human rights violations and election-related violence in Cameroon and Tanzania, effectively legitimizing contested political outcomes.
“The African Commission was established to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights, not as an institution that endorses or legitimizes contested political outcomes,” the organizations wrote. “By congratulating President Biya… the Commission has, wittingly or unwittingly, undermined its credibility and betrayed both the letter and the spirit of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”
The letter specifically notes that the Commission’s actions risk “eroding public trust in the Commission and the wider African human rights system, which already faces increasing skepticism from citizens who see impunity and selective engagement replacing principled leadership.”
The organizations demanded immediate corrective measures from the ACHPR, which included:
Ceasing Congratulatory Letters: Immediately discontinuing the practice of sending congratulatory letters to candidates or politicians who have contested or run for public office, calling it “antithetical to its mission.”
Investigating Abuses: Urgently initiating or supporting independent investigations into human rights violations, killings, and abuses reported in recent elections in Cameroon and Tanzania.
Strengthening Responsiveness: Acting with urgency and consistency in responding to emerging crises, particularly around elections and mass protests.
The groups also pointed out that the ACHPR itself issued a statement on Oct. 31 acknowledging “post-election violence and the resulting deterioration of the human rights situation” in Cameroon, making the congratulatory message a contradictory act.
The statement concluded that Africa stands at a critical crossroads, urging the continent’s human rights institutions to “rise above political pressures and reclaim their role as defenders of justice and democracy.”
