Journalists of ED were those deemed to be supporting the Islamist regime, including not only the militia but also the civilian population, which was considered the “breeding ground” for armed groups.103 Repression was systematic, especially in working-class areas and remote and poor areas affected by terrorism and/or where the Islamic Salvation Front had been victorious in the December 1991 elections. The aim of the systematic repression was to eliminate both armed and civilian Islamist opposition.104 ©Samuel Wazizi Another group commonly targeted and disappeared are journalists, who can be disappeared for simply doing their job. Several journalists in Zimbabwe were forcibly disappeared for taking pictures or covering human rights abuses by the government.99 Following the expansion of the mandate of the Working Group on Extra-Judicial Killings in Africa to include ED, the group’s first reported case of ED concerned Mr. Ibraimo Abu Mbaruco, a community radio journalist at Palma Community Radio in Mozambique, who was allegedly disappeared by soldiers near his house in the town of Palma.100. The Working Group sent a letter of appeal to the Government of Mozambique urging it to conduct a prompt and impartial investigation into the matter and to hold the perpetrators to account.101 Ethnic minorities Further, minorities are often subjected to ED. In Libya, following the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, several tribes such as Tawerghans and Tuareg, who were seen by anti-Gaddafi forces to be loyal to the former regime, were targeted and often became victims of ED. Following the removal of the regime, there were reports that the Libyan interim government authorities removed Tripoli-based Tuareg populations from their homes and held them in detention centres and prisons.105 Actual or perceived former Gaddafi loyalists, and displaced Tuareg in general, have been subjected to retaliatory attacks, harassment, intimidation, discrimination and other abuses, including ED.106 Case study Samuel Wazizi Samuel Wazizi, a journalist, was arrested on 2 August 2019 by the Cameroonian government as a result of his coverage of the conflict in Anglophone Cameroon.102 Samuel was last seen on 7 August 2019 at a police station by his lawyer and his brother, before he was moved to an undisclosed location by the Cameroonian army. Samuel’s whereabouts were then unknown for 10 months. It was not until June 2020 that the government of Cameroon admitted that Samuel had died in custody, however they have yet to release Samuel’s body to his family. Samuel’s family have filed an application before the High Court in Cameroon seeking an inquiry into the arrest, disappearance and death of the journalist. Women and children While men are the most predominant victims of ED, women and children are also subjected to this crime, although the extent of the practice is unknown due to lack of reporting and official information: Civilians • In Zimbabwe, for example, Samantha Kureya, a well-known comedian, was disappeared from her home by unidentified armed men and reappeared a few days later recalling the ordeal where she was forced to drink her own urine and was beaten.107 Civilians have also been known to have fallen victim to ED in Africa. During the civil war in Algeria, the victims • In Egypt, it has been reported that children have been detained, tortured and disappeared in re- 99 In Zimbabwe, Edward Chikombo, a journalist who took pictures of Morgan Tsvangirai being assaulted by the police and subsequently sent them to the international media, was abducted in 2007 and found dead a few days later. Paul Pindani, a journalist with NewsDay newspaper, was abducted and severely beaten by masked assailants in Chinhoyi, in connection with a story relating to the arrest of a ZANU PF member who was alleged to have been involved in a fatal attack on a local businessman. In 2015, Itai Dzamara, a freelance journalist, was abducted in broad daylight. Recently, Samantha Kureya ‘gonyeti’ was abducted for having acted a skit that portrayed human rights violations by the government. 100 HRW, Mozambique: Journalist Feared Disappeared – Locate Ibrahimo Abu Mbaruco; Investigate Security Forces Role, 17 April 2020, Johannesburg. 101 ACHPR, Intersessional Activity Report of Commissioner Kayitesi Zainabo Sylvie for the period November 2019 to June 2020, presented at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ACPHR held at Banjul, The Gambia, between 13 July and 7 August 2020; paragraph 28. 102 REDRESS, Samuel Wazizi case: Cameroon should investigate disappearance and death of journalist, 23 September 2020 103 MENA Rights Group, Waiting for Redress: The Plight of Victims of Enforced Disappearances in Algeria (Baseline Study), August 2020, p. 14. 104 MENA Rights Group, Baseline Study of Enforced Disappearance in Algeria, supra note 103, p. 14. 105 Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (“DFAT”) Country Information Report: Libya, 14 December 2018, p. 14. 106 Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (“DFAT”) Country Information Report: Libya, 14 December 2018, p. 21 107 The Guardian, Zimbabwean comedian goes into hiding after abduction and beating by Jason Burke, 23 August 2019. 24