Statement of Condemnation in Response to the Syaru Massacre
By Femmes Solidaires, Afar Women’s Network Association, and the Committee of Djiboutian Women Against Rape and Impunity (Cofedvi)
We are in mourning, overwhelmed with grief and filled with indignation.
We are mourning because we have lost dedicated and remarkable women, targeted and assassinated by the Djiboutian President’s killer drones in Syaru on January 30, 2025, during the funeral of a woman and a child from the village.
We are angry at the Djiboutian state, which imprisons, tortures, and kills whistleblowers, mothers, and activists suspected of sympathizing with the opposition.
We are outraged by the many states with military basesin the Republic of Djibouti that cannot ignore the crimes committed just a few kilometers from their installations. They turn a blind eye, remain silent, and fail to denounce these atrocities! Their silence makes them complicit!
We condemn this despicable and cowardly massacre perpetrated by the Djiboutian regime — a regime that, in 2002, ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, whose Article 6 states: « The right to life isinherent to every human being. Thisrightshall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of life, » and Article 7: « No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. »
Djibouti also ratified CEDAW in 1998, and in February 2005, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as the Optional Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.
Yet, Djibouti continues to arrest, massacre, and torture opponents—especially Afar women!
We demand justice.
We demand an international investigation.
We demand that those responsible finally be brought to justice.
The Afar women of northern and southwestern Djibouti can count on our unwavering support.
Our thoughts go out especially to the women of the Dawdawya, Syaru, and Margoïta triangle, who have been the primary targets of the Djiboutian army for over twenty years but who continue to demonstrate resilience.
Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of the victims, who will forever remain in our memories.
Paris, January 31, 2025
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