Niger: 'Absolutely Nothing' Justifies Arrest of Niger Journalist, Rights Expert Tells RFI

What the report says

RFI reports that Nigerien journalist Moussa Kaka has been missing since 31 August, after leaving the offices of Saraounia radio and television in Niamey to go home. His family says it has not heard from him since, and the Nigerien authorities have not publicly explained what happened. Senegalese human rights activist Alioune Tine told RFI that the case should be treated as an enforced disappearance and said there is no justification for Kaka’s arrest or disappearance.

Kaka is a well-known figure in Nigerien media and a former RFI correspondent. The report notes that he was previously jailed in Niamey from 2007 to 2008 after being accused in connection with contacts with Tuareg rebel leaders. Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders is also pressing for an inquiry, saying it has reason to suspect Niger’s military authorities are involved. The organization has referred the matter to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances and earlier alerted the African Union’s special rapporteur on freedom of expression and access to information.

Tine linked the case to what he described as a wider decline in civic space in Niger since the 2023 coup that brought General Abdourahamane Tiani to power. He said journalists and civil society actors are facing increasing pressure, and urged Nigerien authorities, as well as African and international institutions, to act. The report is significant because it adds to growing concern over press freedom and disappearances in the Sahel, where military-led governments have increasingly clashed with independent voices.