The idea of establishing a network of West African human rights defenders dates back to 1998, the year of the adoption of the United Nations declaration on human rights defenders. In fact, the outbreak of armed conflicts and political crises in the 90’s following the wave of democratization in West Africa has resulted in exacerbating the violations of human rights and to make human rights activists privileged target of dictatorial regimes.

Human rights defenders at the forefront of democratic claims and establishing the rule of law and respect for human rights quickly found himself in the sights of repressive regimes in place. Several were arrested, jailed, tortured and sometimes murdered. Such was the case among others of Guinea, Togo, Sierra Leone, Liberia etc ... (Beware, you talk too much, Amnesty International). Several regional and sub regional consultations were held in light to reflect on this need for protection and promotion of the rights of human rights defenders:

* Bingerville’s workshop in Ivory Coast in July 1998
* Pan-African Conference of Human Rights Defenders held in Johannesburg in November 1998
* And in the international level, the States General of human rights defenders in Paris.

Following the various consultations, an important event occured at the international level. Indeed, December 9, 1998, just before the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations resolution 53/144 on "The Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms universally recognized "commonly called the United Nations Declaration on human rights.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

But the action for the protection of human rights defenders in West Africa will actually take shape in 2001 with the launch by Amnesty International as the sub regional campaign for the recognition and protection of human rights defenders in West Africa. This campaign was actually launched in April 2001 in Dakar in the presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations on the situation of human rights defenders, will recommend the establishment of a sub regional and national coalitions to better protect defenders . The establishment of these networks will be crowned in 2005 in Dakar by the formalization of the West African Human Rights Defenders Network. 
  
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