Niger’s 2025 human rights crisis under military rule

The human rights landscape in Niger has deteriorated sharply since the military coup of July 2023. By 2025, the ruling junta had intensified repression against political opponents, dissidents, union leaders, and journalists. Arbitrary detentions continued, with former President Mohamed Bazoum and his wife still held incommunicado, alongside former government officials, journalists, and human rights defenders.

Niger remains under siege from multiple Islamist armed groups, including the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS), the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, JNIM), linked to Al-Qaeda, as well as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) in its western and southeastern regions. Clashes in western Tillabéri and along borders with Mali and Burkina Faso have escalated, placing civilians in increasingly perilous situations.

In August, the junta launched Garkuwar Kassa (“Shields of the Homeland” in Hausa), a civilian militia initiative aimed at recruiting and training locals to support the armed forces. While framed as a security measure, the move has sparked concerns about potential abuses by unaccountable armed groups operating outside formal military structures.

In March 2025, junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani solidified his grip on power by swearing in as transitional president without holding elections, effectively postponing any return to democratic governance. His administration further tightened control in April by abolishing multiparty politics nationwide, centralizing power under military authority.

January 2025 saw Niger withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), joining Mali and Burkina Faso in a move that severely limits citizens’ access to regional justice mechanisms like the ECOWAS Court of Justice. By September, the three nations announced plans to exit the International Criminal Court (ICC), a decision that threatens to deny victims of atrocities any pathway to accountability.

escalating violence by islamist insurgents

Since 2012, when Islamist insurgency first erupted in northern Mali, it has spilled into neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, subjecting civilian populations to over a decade of violence and intimidation. In 2025, the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS) dramatically escalated attacks in Tillabéri, a region bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, systematically executing civilians and burning homes.

On March 21, EIS fighters stormed Fambita village’s mosque during afternoon prayers, killing at least 46 worshippers—including three children—and torching over 20 homes alongside several market stalls. Survivors reported the attackers accused locals of collaborating with Nigerien forces or failing to pay zakat, the Islamic tax demanded by extremists.

Similar massacres unfolded across Tillabéri throughout 2025. On May 13, an assault on Dani Fari village left seven dead, with 12 homes destroyed by fire. June saw coordinated attacks on Manda and Abarkaize villages, where over 70 worshippers were killed in a pre-dawn mosque attack, and five elders were later abducted and executed. Survivors consistently noted the military’s failure to respond to prior warnings, leaving communities defenseless against planned assaults.

systematic suppression of dissent

Since seizing power, the junta has systematically targeted former government figures, detaining former ministers, presidential aides, and allies of Mohamed Bazoum without due process. In April 2025, the regime released around 50 political detainees, including officials and a journalist, but dozens remain imprisoned on politically motivated charges. Among them is prominent human rights activist Moussa Tiangari, arrested in December 2024 and held incommunicado before being charged in January 2025 with “conspiracy to overthrow the state” and “collaboration with enemy powers.” If convicted on the latter charge, he faces the death penalty. His ongoing pretrial detention and denied access to a judge underscore the junta’s weaponization of the judiciary against critics.

attacks on press freedom and civil society

Press freedom has plummeted since the 2023 coup. Journalists face arbitrary arrests, threats, and forced self-censorship. In January 2025, authorities suspended private broadcaster Canal 3 TV for 30 days after its editor criticized government ministers, though the penalty was later reversed. February saw the military expel the International Committee of the Red Cross without explanation, disrupting critical humanitarian aid.

In May, security forces arrested three journalists from Sahara FM in Agadez for reporting alleged shifts in Niger’s security alliances with Russia and Turkey. Despite a judge ordering their release the next day, they were rearrested and remain in detention. August brought further repression as the Interior Minister dissolved four judicial unions, claiming they had “deviated” from their mandate. The move drew condemnation from Niger’s Bar Association and the Union of Nigerien Workers, who organized a two-day strike in protest, highlighting the junta’s broader crackdown on civil liberties.