Co-founder of Refugees in Libya, David Yambio, has described the just concluded World Social Forum in Cotonou, Benin, as a “World Social Flop,” accusing organisers and authorities of failing to protect delegates and uphold the principles of Pan-African solidarity.

Yambio said hundreds of African and international delegates had spent significant resources and taken risks to attend the forum, only to be left without adequate venues, protection or a collective political response.

In a statement posted on his X handle on August 4, Yambio described the situation as a “shameful betrayal” of Pan-African solidarity and the spirit of hospitality expected from a gathering intended to bring together grassroots movements from across the world.

According to Yambio, organisers repeatedly maintained that they wanted the forum to be “a constructive force, not an opposition.” He, however, argued that a social movement that has to seek permission to speak risks abandoning the purpose for which it exists.

The activist said the developments were particularly ironic because delegates had gathered to discuss issues including shrinking democratic space, border violence and the externalisation of migration controls.

“Instead, the Forum itself became a victim of state suppression,” he said.

Yambio also expressed disappointment over what he described as a missed opportunity for Africa, arguing that hosting the World Social Forum on African soil should have strengthened grassroots voices and demonstrated the continent’s capacity to support independent social movements.

He blamed what he called a combination of “state hostility and organisational passivity” for undermining the gathering and projecting weakness at a time when greater courage was needed.

Despite the challenges, Yambio said participants at the Migration Village chose to organise themselves rather than abandon their activities.

He said the delegates refused to be “silenced or intimidated,” stressing that social movements had historically advanced through grassroots mobilisation rather than government permission.

“For me, this has become the ‘World Social Flop,’” Yambio said.

The World Social Forum brings together civil society organisations, activists, social movements and other grassroots actors to discuss social, economic, political and human rights issues.