THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Recognition of International Detention Coalition highlights urgent need for humane migration policies. This is relevant to African migrants and asylum-seekers, given how widespread the practice of immigration detention is — and how many people are directly affected in Africa, en route or in destination countries.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) has awarded its prestigious 2025 Human Rights Prize to the International Detention Coalition (IDC), a global network working to end the detention of migrants and asylum-seekers and promote rights-based alternatives.
The award, to be presented at a ceremony in Berlin on 13 October, underscores a growing international consensus that detaining people because of their migration status is a human rights violation.
IDC works internationally to challenge migration detention practices — periods when people are held (often with little legal support) while their immigration/asylum status is determined, before or during deportation or even in transit
IDC’s work promotes practical, humane alternatives — such as community-based support and supervised residence — that allow migrants to live with dignity while their legal status is being resolved.
For African migrants, the recognition is particularly significant. Many face detention not only in destination countries but also along dangerous transit routes, especially in North Africa. Inadequate legal aid, overcrowded facilities and the indefinite nature of detention make such practices both harmful and unjust.
By honouring IDC, the FES draws attention to these realities and amplifies calls for fairer, more compassionate migration policies — both in Europe and across Africa. The award also highlights the need for greater collaboration between governments and civil society to protect the rights of migrants, refugees and displaced persons.
FES, Germany’s oldest political foundation and which is affiliated with the Social Democratic Party (SPD), promotes democracy, social justice and human rights through political education, research and international dialogue. In fact, the foundation’s affiliation with the SPD shapes the party’s values and priorities, particularly its focus on social democracy, equality and workers’ rights.
Founded in 1994, the FES Human Rights Prize recognises individuals and organisations worldwide that make outstanding contributions to the protection and promotion of human rights. This year’s ceremony also focused on the detention of children, a practice banned under international law but still widespread in migration systems.
Giving the 2025 award to the IDC is a powerful affirmation that migrant detention is a human rights issue — and that more humane and just alternatives are not only morally required, but feasible. For African migrants, and for those who work with and advocate on their behalf, the award is both recognition and encouragement: recognition of the hardships faced, and encouragement that change is possible.
Felix Dappah
Read more about the 2025 Human Rights Prize at www.fes.de/menschenrechtspreis
