Niger journalist Moussa Kaka missing in Niamey as RSF demands official answers

The disappearance of veteran Nigerien journalist Moussa Kaka in Niamey has triggered international alarm and renewed scrutiny of press freedom across the Sahel. Kaka, director-general of Radio Télévision Saraounia (RTS) and a historic figure in regional broadcasting, has been out of contact for several weeks, with no official explanation from the transitional authorities.

A sudden vanishing in the capital

Information gathered from relatives and local colleagues indicates that Kaka has not been heard from since leaving his home in Niamey. No formal arrest warrant or detention notice has been issued by the transitional government, and inquiries made at security services and police stations across the capital have so far produced no results.

Kaka has been a familiar voice and face for African audiences for decades, known for his rigorous coverage of security issues, political crises and complex community dynamics across the Sahel-Saharan belt. His professional record, built on in-depth investigations and privileged access to actors on the ground, has repeatedly exposed him to pressure from various regimes.

RSF speaks out

Confronted with the resounding silence surrounding the case, press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reacted immediately. Speaking on Africa Radio, Sadibou Marong, director of RSF’s West Africa office, voiced the organisation’s deep concern over what he described as a troubling detention or enforced disappearance.

“Moussa Kaka’s disappearance is an extremely alarming signal for the entire Nigerien and Sahelian media landscape. We urgently call on the Nigerien authorities to shed full light on his situation, to specify whether he is being held by intelligence services, and to guarantee his physical integrity and immediate release,” Marong said.

The NGO stressed that protecting information professionals is the responsibility of the transitional government, and that journalistic work cannot be equated with an act of destabilisation.

A media landscape under heavy strain across the AES

The case unfolds against a particularly harsh backdrop for journalism in the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which brings together Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Since military transitional governments took power, civic and media space has faced growing restrictions: suspensions of international outlets, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of civil society figures and forced self-censorship among local journalists.

For the profession in Niger, Kaka’s case illustrates a worrying erosion of the safeguards that underpin journalistic work. As the sub-region confronts immense security and economic challenges, the disappearance of one of its most respected voices casts a dark shadow over the future of the right to report freely in Niamey.

By Claire Mvondo — Security and State Policy Expert