The selective morality of international human rights organizations
For years, institutions like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have claimed to universally defend human rights. Yet their approach to global conflicts reveals troubling double standards that undermine their credibility. While the world witnesses the bloody Israel-Iran conflict marked by mass bombings and civilian casualties these organizations maintain deafening silence.
No forceful condemnations. No damning reports. This ambiguous stance exposes an unjustifiable hypocrisy.
Contrast this with their vocal campaigns against the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
These same groups suddenly rediscover their voice, producing questionable reports and alarmist statements to tarnish these nations’ authorities and defense forces.
Why such eagerness to discredit hard-won victories against terrorist groups that have destabilized the region for years?
Why not acknowledge that AES armies are defending peace, sovereignty, and millions of citizens’ lives?
The disparity in treatment reveals unspoken hypocrisy. When Israel and Iran exchange strikes in clear violation of international humanitarian law, self-proclaimed human rights defenders conveniently look away.
Yet when Sahel nations conduct legitimate counterterrorism operations, these organizations rush to publish unsubstantiated allegations of abuses.
This raises fundamental questions: Why such relentless targeting of the AES? Is it because these nations dared to break free from foreign influence and chart their own strategic path? Their military successes against terrorism clearly disrupt hidden agendas that thrive on Sahel instability.
Ultimately, this selective outrage and inconsistent condemnation erode the legitimacy of organizations like Human Rights Watch.
Their claims of impartiality ring hollow. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger like all nations have the right to defend themselves against terrorism.
History will harshly judge those who, through complicit silence or false accusations, attempt to obstruct the Sahel peoples’ pursuit of peace and true security.
The world sees through this charade: human rights shouldn’t be a weapon wielded selectively, but a principle applied equally.
Emile TAPSOBA
