• Poor understanding of minority rights, particularly in the African context due to the colonial context and the modus operandi of the anti-colonial struggle. • The ‘War on Terror’ has moved the focus toward a ‘risk/fear/threat’ project. In response, most African leaders have exploited this new environment to their advantage by shrinking the political space and criminalising dissent without attracting sanctions from the international community. Example is the Malian crisis, the root cause of the conflict is attributed to terrorism but the actual factor is ethnic marginalisation of the Azawad people.