7 April 2021, 00:01 UTC Pandemic hits those shackled by oppression hardest thanks to decades of inequalities, neglect and abuse It lays bare massive systemic inequality with marginalized communities, unemployed people, health workers, and women among the most severely impacted Report finds COVID-19 was weaponized by leaders to ramp up assaults on human rights New Secretary General Agnès Callamard calls for reset of broken systems The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination, and oppression across Sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International said in its annual report published today. Across the region, the devastating impact of armed conflict in countries such as Ethiopia, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Nigeria, was compounded by the pandemic as a number of states weaponized it to crack down on human rights. The crackdowns included killings of civilians and arrests of opposition politicians and supporters and human rights defenders and activists in countries such as Angola, Guinea, and Uganda.