Niger Journalist Moussa Kaka Feared Forcibly Disappeared

Prominent Nigerien journalist Moussa Kaka has been missing for three days, with fears he has been forcibly disappeared. Kaka, the director-general of Radio Télévision Saraounia and a former Radio France Internationale correspondent, left his Niamey office around 7 p.m. On August 31 and has not been seen since.

His family and colleagues have no information on his location. A Nigerien journalist told Human Rights Watch that in Niger today, "one could disappear because of his or her opinions." This source linked Kaka's case to a pattern of disappearances targeting critics of the military junta.

Previous Pressure and Arrests

Kaka is no stranger to official pressure. In October 2025, police in Niamey arrested him and five other journalists: Abdoul Aziz Idé, Ibro Chaibou, Souleymane Brah, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané. Their arrest followed a social media announcement about a news briefing concerning a government solidarity fund for security force operations.

The authorities charged the group under the cybercrime law with "complicity in distributing documents likely to disturb public order." A court released Kaka, Idé, and Brah on bail in November 2025. Seriba and Kané were released on July 15, and Chaibou was freed on August 28.

Context of an Attempted Coup

The journalist's disappearance occurred shortly after an attempted coup against Niger's ruling junta. On August 29, mutinous soldiers attacked several strategic locations in the capital. The army, supported by Russian government-controlled Africa Corps forces, regained control by the following day.

Authorities have since detained soldiers alleged to have participated in the uprising, along with one former minister. The climate of repression following the failed putsch appears to have intensified risks for perceived government critics.

A Pattern of Repression Under the Junta

Since seizing power in a 2023 coup, Niger's military authorities have systematically dismantled democratic institutions and intensified repression. Their actions include dissolving political parties, suspending dozens of civil society groups, and using a broad cybercrime law to detain journalists.

The junta has also stripped political opponents of their nationality, announced Niger's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, and prolonged the country's political transition without setting an election date. Former President Mohamed Bazoum and prominent human rights defender Moussa Tchangari remain in arbitrary detention.

The Crime of Enforced Disappearance

Under international human rights law, an enforced disappearance occurs when state forces hold a person and then refuse to acknowledge the detention or conceal the individual's fate or whereabouts. This crime places the victim outside the protection of the law, causing severe anguish for families.

Human Rights Watch states that Niger's authorities must immediately disclose Kaka's whereabouts, ensure his safety, and release him unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offense. The organization's report documents the junta's entrenched authoritarian rule and its targeting of critics.