United Nations human rights experts on the topic Thursday condemned the enforced disappearance of three children and an adult in Guinea and warned that the victims appeared to have been targeted in retaliation against exiled activist and musician Elie Kamano. The experts called on the Guinean authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of the victims, ensure their safety and conduct an independent investigation into the kidnappings.
According to the experts, the masked men were probably members of Guinea’s security forces entered on November 11, 2025 at a private house in the Matoto market area of Conakry. The attackers reportedly arrived in official-looking vehicles and kidnapped three teenage boys between 14 and 16 years old, with an adult relative. The UN experts said the operation appeared to be a deliberate act of retaliation related to the victims’ family relationship with Kamano, a prominent critic of Guinea’s military-run government who is currently living in exile.
The experts noted that despite repeated requests to the Guinean authorities for more than six months, the families had not received any information about the fate or whereabouts of the victims. They warned that the continued refusal to disclose the victims’ whereabouts could constitute enforced disappearances under international law. They warned that the continued refusal to disclose the whereabouts of the victims was a cause for concern Articles 1 and 2 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, which prohibits enforced disappearances and describes it as a deprivation of liberty by state agents followed by concealment of the fate or whereabouts of the victim, effectively depriving individuals of the protection of the law.
The disappearance of three minors also raises concerns under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 19 obliges states to protect children from violence, abuse and intimidation Article 37 prohibits arbitrary detention and unlawful deprivation of liberty. The experts noted that the abduction of children to pressure or punish political opponents constitutes a particularly serious form of collective punishment, which is prohibited under international human rights standards.
The experts specified“The abduction and subsequent enforced disappearance of children as a means of punishment or pressure on a parent or relative is an act of exceptional cruelty,” adding that continued uncertainty about the fate of victims may amount to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of family members. The UN experts called on Guinea to immediately launch an impartial and independent investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The allegations emerge against the background of increasing internationality Worries regarding the political repression in Guinea following the 2021 military coup led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. Since the coup, human rights organizations including Amnesty Internationalhave documented allegations that include arbitrary detentions, restrictions on protests, intimidation of journalists and reprisals against opposition figures and civil society activists.
Guinea’s security forces have previously been investigated for serious human rights abuses. International investigators investigated the 2009 Conakry stadium massacre, in which security personnel killed more than 150 protesters and committed widespread sexual violence, as possible crimes against humanity. More recently, human rights groups have warned of shrinking civic space and increasing pressure on political dissidents under military rule.
Kamano is reportedly known for publicly criticizing Guinea’s authorities and military leadership flea the country after facing threats related to his activism. Human rights experts and international monitoring bodies have repeatedly warned that enforced disappearances are often used in authoritarian environments to intimidate critics, silence dissent and spread fear in broader communities.
