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Amnesty International, alongside the Coordination of Human Rights Organizations (CODDH) of Guinea and the West African Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN), has issued a formal demand for the Guinean government to disclose the whereabouts of activists Oumar Sylla, known as Foniké Mengué, and Mamadou Billo Bah. The two men have been missing for two years, following their arrest on July 9, 2024, at Sylla’s residence in Conakry.
The Disappearance of FNDC Activists
According to a third FNDC member who was arrested alongside them and subsequently released, the two men were transported to the Loos archipelago for interrogation.
Despite multiple calls for transparency, the Guinean authorities continue to deny that the men are in state custody. Amnesty International reports that there is no evidence of a credible investigation into their disappearance, despite previous official assurances that an inquiry had been launched.
The families of the disappeared remain in a state of uncertainty. In a statement released to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the event, the wife of Mamadou Billo Bah described the ongoing psychological toll on their children, noting, "They say they can hear his voice in the silence. They say how much they miss him, that they are waiting for him, and that life is hard without him."
A Pattern of Enforced Disappearances
The cases of Sylla and Bah are part of a broader trend of enforced disappearances involving journalists, civil society members, and political figures in Guinea. International human rights monitors have flagged the rising frequency of these incidents, which often involve state agents or unidentified armed men.
On October 17, 2024, the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Mines, Saadou Nimagua, was abducted. His current status remains unknown. Similarly, journalist Habib Marouane Camara, director of the online outlet Le Révélateur 224, was taken by men in uniform on December 3, 2024. While the Dixinn public prosecutor’s office acknowledged that the arrest was conducted without legal authorization, no further information regarding his whereabouts has been provided to his family.
Other incidents include the November 16, 2025, abduction of five relatives of exiled artist Elie Kamano, including four minors. While the youngest individual was later released, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances have issued statements expressing concern over the lack of progress in locating the remaining family members.
In other instances, victims have been released after enduring physical abuse. Abdoul Sacko, coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea, was abducted on February 19, 2025, and later discovered in the bush in a critical state. Mohamed Traoré, the former President of the Guinean Bar Association, was also abducted from his home in June 2025 and released hours later; the public prosecutor subsequently announced an investigation into his case.
International Calls for Accountability
Human rights organizations are urging the Guinean government to fulfill its commitments under international law. Under these standards, enforced disappearance is defined as the deprivation of liberty by state agents, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the detention or disclose the fate of the individual.
The coalition of rights groups has called on the state to:
- Conduct prompt, independent, and transparent investigations into all reported disappearances.
- Ensure that those responsible for these abductions are brought to justice.
- Provide truth, justice, and reparations to the families of the victims.
Furthermore, the organizations have urged the Guinean government to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance without reservation. This follows a commitment made by the authorities during the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in August 2025 to align national legislation with the provisions of the convention.
As of the second anniversary of the FNDC activists’ disappearance, the Guinean authorities have yet to provide a substantive update on the investigations promised to the public and the international community.
