… Human Rights Watch has said the World Cup risks being defined by “exclusion and fear” due to Trump’s crackdowns on immigration, demonstrations and press freedom, while Amnesty International warned the tournament could become a “stage for repression”. …
Anxiety, anticipation as Fifa World Cup one-month countdown beginsNamibia Minute.
Monday, 11 May 2026
Namibia’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Monday, 11 May 2026
Windhoek—:—London—:—New York—:—Beijing—:—
Organization
Human Rights Watch
Also known as: HRW
In coverage
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
- May 2026
- April 2026
… Two months ago, German news outlet DW reported that a study by non-government organisation Human Rights Watch found that government forces in Burkina Faso are responsible for more than twice as many civilian deaths as that of militant jihadist groups over a two-year period. …
Beware False Gods and Pretenders… On Thursday, a report by Human Rights Watch said more than 1 800 civilians have been killed in Burkina Faso since Traoré seized power in 2023. …
Burkina Faso must ‘forget' about democracy, military leader Traoré says… Campaign group Human Rights Watch has recently noted a rise in “hostility toward LGBT people”, adding that MPs had twice – in 2022 and 2024 – unsuccessfully sought to raise jail terms and penalties against same-sex relationships. …
Senegal president signs tough new anti-LGBT law doubling jail terms… I feel pity for them and I get scared at the same time.” In a report on the recruitment campaign, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was a “grave violation of children’s rights and a war crime when the children are under 15”. …
Iran using children in security roles in war, reports and witnesses say- March 2026
… Human Rights Watch has previously raised concerns over due process and the treatment of prisoners accused of being part of an Islamist armed group. …
‘We will go wherever they hide': Rooting out IS in Somalia… Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué said the proposed changes were worrying. …
Senegal approves tougher anti-gay law as rights groups raise concerns- November 2025
… In September, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had seen the copy of an agreement, providing for Eswatini to accept up to 160 deportees from the US in exchange for $5.1m to build its “border and migration management capacity”. …
Eswatini confirms receiving $5.1m from the US for accepting deportees… Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the authorities had responded to the widespread protests following the elections “with lethal force and other abuses”. …
Curfew lifted in Tanzania's main city after election unrest- October 2025
… In September, campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it had seen the agreement between the Eswatini and US governments. …
Eswatini accepts 10 US deportees despite legal challenge
Sport
2026 World Cup faces ticket prices, political tensions
The News
The one-month countdown to the 2026 Fifa World Cup begins Monday with a record 48 teams descending on the United States, Canada and Mexico, though soaring ticket prices, political tensions, and conflict in Iran have cast an early shadow over the tournament.
10 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Yesterday
2026 World Cup faces ticket prices, political tensions
The one-month countdown to the 2026 Fifa World Cup begins Monday with a record 48 teams descending on the United States, Canada and Mexico, though soaring ticket prices, political tensions, and conflict in Iran have cast an early shadow over the tournament.
10 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Saturday 18 April
Africa must resist romanticising military dictators, analyst warns
Kenyan political analyst Nanjala Nyabola warns that African military leaders like Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré present themselves as anti-imperialist "saviours" while actually implementing authoritarianism, dissolved political parties and cracking down on dissent. The Namibian editorial argues that Namibians should be equally wary of the rise of populist personality-driven politics over substantive governance.
18 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Friday 3 April
Burkina Faso military leader rejects democracy, extends autocratic rule
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a 2021 coup, declared that democracy "kills" and said Burkina Faso must abandon it in favour of an unspecified alternative approach. The junta leader, who broke a pledge to restore elections by July 2024, has dissolved political parties, suppressed dissent, and extended his rule for five additional years.
3 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Thursday 2 April
Senegal president signs law doubling jail terms for same-sex relationships
Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed legislation doubling the maximum prison sentence to 10 years for sexual acts by same-sex couples and criminalising the "promotion" of homosexuality with sentences of three to seven years. The law was approved by parliament with an overwhelming majority and reflects a campaign promise, though it has drawn criticism from UN officials and international human rights groups.
2 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Wednesday 1 April
Iran recruiting children aged 12 for security duties
Iran is deploying children as young as 12 in security roles including checkpoints and patrols, a practice confirmed by eyewitness accounts and highlighted by an 11-year-old's death at a checkpoint in Tehran. Human rights organisations say the recruitment programme violates international law and constitutes war crimes when children under 15 are involved.
1 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Monday 16 March
Puntland forces battle Islamic State in remote Somali mountains
Somalia's Puntland Defence Forces, supported by US drone strikes and intelligence, are conducting sustained military operations against Islamic State fighters entrenched in the al-Miskad mountains. Though IS-Somalia's local threat capacity has diminished, the group remains a resilient organisation and continues to serve as a hub supporting Islamic State affiliates across Africa and beyond.
16 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Friday 13 March
Senegal parliament approves law doubling penalty for same-sex relations
Senegal's parliament has approved legislation that doubles the maximum prison sentence to 10 years for same-sex sexual acts and criminalises the "promotion" of homosexuality. UN human rights officials and rights groups have warned the move could worsen discrimination and violence against sexual minorities, and could undermine the country's efforts to control HIV transmission.
13 March 2026 · The Namibian →