To this day, 98 States have signed the ICPED, and 63 have ratified it. In Africa only 17 countries have ratified the Convention despite enforced disappearances being prevalent all over the continent.Since 2019, REDRESS and its partners – MENA Rights Group, Lawyers for Justice in Libya, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights – have been working on a project to combat enforced disappearances in Africa.

This webinar provides an opportunity for victims and practitioners to discuss the scope and impact of enforced disappearances in Africa, with a particular focus on Algeria, Zimbabwe, Libya and Sudan.

We will explore who the victims of enforced disappearance are in these countries, in what context this crime occurs, and the main legal and policy gaps that prevent victims from obtaining justice and reparations.

As we commemorate the ICPED, we will take stock of its reach and impact in Africa in the last decade, and will discuss the way forward so that the Convention becomes an effective tool in the continent.

Moderated by Eva Nudd, REDRESS’s Legal Adviser.

Speakers:
• Ines Osman, MENA Rights
• Elise Flecher, Lawyers for Justice in Libya
• Amir Suleiman, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies
• Nosilimo Chanayiwa, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
• Nassera Dutour, Collectif des Familles de Disparus en Algérie