Niger’s military regime escalates repression after july 2023 coup

Eighteen months after the Niger military seized power in a coup on 26 July 2023, ousting elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the new regime led by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) has intensified its crackdown on dissent. A recent report by Amnesty International, published in March, documents widespread human rights abuses, including forced arrests, arbitrary detentions, media suppression and the banning of political parties. The findings, covering the period from July 2023 to January 2025, paint a grim picture of a country where civil and political freedoms are being systematically dismantled.

The CNSP justified its takeover under the banner of restoring security and combating poor governance. Yet, rather than upholding the rule of law, the military leadership has systematically undermined democratic institutions, deepening societal divisions in the process.

Sahel’s shifting alliances and regional fallout

Since 2020, the Sahel region has witnessed a wave of military coups, beginning in Mali (2020–2021), followed by Burkina Faso (January and September 2022), and culminating in Niger in July 2023. After facing economic sanctions and the threat of military intervention by ECOWAS, the three juntas formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023. This alliance marked a strategic shift, including the severing of ties with France and the European Union. In a further display of defiance, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali announced on 17 March their withdrawal from the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), which, like ECOWAS, had demanded the release of Mohamed Bazoum.

Collapse of the rule of law under military rule

When General Abdourahamane Tiani assumed leadership, he pledged to uphold human rights and civil liberties. Yet by early 2025, the reality had diverged sharply from those promises. “Despite assurances from the new authorities, human rights have been trampled in both law and practice. Our report makes it clear: the authorities have failed,” stated Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s interim West and Central Africa director. The regression in legal protections has been stark.

Within days of the coup, the military suspended the 2010 Constitution and dismantled key institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission. Promised reforms have yet to materialise, leaving the CNSP with unchecked executive and legislative authority. Governance now relies heavily on restrictive decrees.

One of the most contentious measures is the reinstatement of the 2019 cybercrime law, expanded in July 2024 to criminalise defamation, insults and online content deemed disruptive to public order. The vague wording allows authorities to target opponents easily. A further decree from August 2024 broadened the definition of terrorism, enabling the state to blacklist individuals and groups. Those listed face asset freezes and, alarmingly, the risk of losing their nationality.

By October 2024, 21 individuals had been stripped of their citizenship, including several former ministers from Bazoum’s administration. “I only hold Nigerian nationality. This provisional revocation could render me stateless. I won’t contest it—there is no rule of law left in Niger,” said Hamid Ngadé, a former presidential communications advisor. Amnesty International condemned the move, with Ousmane Diallo, a Sahel researcher, calling it “a deprivation of rights based solely on dissenting opinions.”

Political pluralism has effectively vanished. Since the coup, all political parties have been suspended, eroding institutional checks and balances.

Silencing civil society and the media

The junta has wielded repression as a tool to consolidate power, targeting civil society and independent journalism. Intelligence services, particularly the Directorate General for State Security (DGSE), stand accused of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions, despite official denials.

Moussa Tchangari, a prominent civil society leader, was violently arrested at his home on 3 December 2024. Held in secret for days, he now faces charges of terrorism advocacy, endangering state security and criminal association—offences carrying up to a decade in prison. His case epitomises the climate of fear gripping Niger. Journalists, activists and critics are routinely harassed, threatened and detained without due process.

The regime has fostered a divisive narrative, labelling critics as “stateless” and equating opposition with betrayal. “We live under a state of exception. Civil society organisations face immense challenges. People are afraid to speak out or organise events seen as critical of the government,” shared a Niamey-based activist. Once vibrant hubs of civic engagement, civil society networks are now fragmented and paralysed by fear.

Media under siege: censorship and persecution

The CNSP’s assault on press freedom began immediately. In January 2024, the Press House was suspended and replaced by a state-controlled interim body. Foreign broadcasters were among the first targets: RFI and France 24 were suspended in August 2023, followed by the BBC in December 2024 for three months.

Local journalists face relentless persecution. Ousmane Toudou, a former advisor to Bazoum, and Soumana Maïga, a newspaper editor, were arrested in April 2024 over social media posts. While Maïga secured provisional release, Toudou remains detained. Samira Sabou, a blogger and activist, was forcibly disappeared before being charged under the 2019 cybercrime law. In response, self-censorship has become the norm. “Every word is weighed carefully now. There’s no one left to defend the press,” confided a journalist to Amnesty International.

Ousmane Diallo of Amnesty International warned, “Freedom of expression, dissent and a free press are vital to accountability and the protection of other rights. Niger stands at a critical crossroads.”

In February, a national dialogue concluded with a recommendation for a five-year transitional government, renewable, potentially allowing current leaders to run in future elections. This proposal underscores the military’s entrenched grip on power and further delays any return to democratic governance.