London, United Kingdom
Country Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases
Dr Jean Baptiste Bukuru, PhDCountry Expert on East Africa (Great Lakes) and Francophone West Africa, International and Human Rights LawView profileMali, Burkina Faso, Niger & Togo Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases
Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.
We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.
I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:
Mali: Mali has been gripped by a multi-dimensional security crisis since 2012, with jihadist insurgent groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State controlling vast stretches of the central and northern regions, where they impose strict religious codes, destroy cultural heritage, and carry out attacks on civilian communities that resist their authority. The Malian military, alongside foreign paramilitary contractors, has been implicated in summary executions, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of Fulani communities under the pretext of counterterrorism operations. The military government that took power in successive coups has suspended democratic processes, detained politicians and journalists, and expelled international media organizations. Women face extremely high rates of female genital mutilation, early marriage, and limited access to education, particularly in areas under insurgent control. Same-sex relations are not explicitly criminalized but LGBT individuals face intense social persecution, and there have been documented cases of mob violence and police extortion.
Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso is experiencing an escalating security crisis, with jihadist armed groups displacing over two million people and carrying out massacres in rural communities across the Sahel, Centre-Nord, Est, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions. The military government that seized power in 2022 has responded with counteroffensives involving both national forces and civilian volunteer militias, with both parties implicated in extrajudicial killings and the collective punishment of communities suspected of harbouring insurgents. Ethnic Fulani populations have been disproportionately targeted by both state forces and self-defence groups on suspicion of jihadist sympathies, creating a cycle of retaliatory violence. Women and girls in displaced and conflict-affected communities face heightened risks of sexual violence, forced marriage, and exploitation. There is no legal protection for LGBT individuals, who face social exclusion, family violence, and police harassment.
Niger: Niger faces severe security threats from jihadist groups operating along its borders with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria, resulting in civilian massacres, abductions, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands from the Tillaberi, Tahoua, and Diffa regions. The military junta that took power in 2023 has suspended the constitution, detained the democratically elected president, and cracked down on civil society organizations and political parties that oppose the new order. Niger has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with over three-quarters of girls married before the age of eighteen, and women face systemic barriers to education, property ownership, and political participation. Tuareg communities in the north have experienced cycles of rebellion and military repression linked to demands for autonomy and equitable resource distribution. Same-sex conduct is criminalized with imprisonment, and LGBT individuals face severe stigma and are invisible in public life.
Togo: Togo's political landscape has been dominated by a single ruling family for decades, with opposition movements facing repression through the use of lethal force against demonstrators, the arrest of protest leaders, and the manipulation of electoral processes and constitutional amendments to extend presidential authority. Security forces have committed documented abuses including arbitrary detention, torture, and the targeted surveillance of human rights defenders and journalists. Northern communities, particularly the Kabye and related groups, have historically been recruited into the security apparatus, creating ethnic tensions with southern populations. Women face domestic violence, sexual harassment, and customary practices that deny them equal rights in marriage and inheritance. Same-sex conduct is criminalized with up to three years' imprisonment, and LGBT individuals face police targeting, blackmail, and violent social persecution.
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