Niger: Moussa Kaka Forcibly Disappeared Amid Junta Crackdown

• Prominent Nigerien journalist Moussa Kaka has been missing for three days since August 31, raising fears of an enforced disappearance.
• Kaka's disappearance follows an attempted coup on August 29 and subsequent detentions by the Nigerien junta.
• He was previously arrested in October 2025 with five other journalists under the cybercrime law for announcing a news briefing.
• Niger's junta has intensified repression since its 2023 coup, dismantling democratic institutions and arbitrarily detaining critics like former President Mohamed Bazoum and human rights defender Moussa Tchangari.
• Authorities are urged to disclose Kaka's whereabouts, ensure his safety, and release him unless he faces valid criminal charges.

The current situation signals an escalating risk of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance for individuals, particularly journalists and critics, in Niger, under the junta's authoritarian rule.

Moussa Kaka, a highly respected Nigerien journalist and director-general of Radio Télévision Saraounia, has been missing for three days, sparking grave concerns that he may have been forcibly disappeared. Kaka, who also served as a former correspondent for Radio France Internationale, was last seen leaving his office in Niamey, the capital, around 7 p.m. on August 31, intending to return home. Since then, his family and colleagues have been unable to obtain any information regarding his whereabouts, fueling fears for his safety.

This alarming disappearance follows closely on the heels of an attempted coup against Niger's ruling junta on August 29, during which mutinous soldiers launched attacks on several strategic locations within the capital. The army, reportedly supported by Russian government-controlled Africa Corps forces, successfully regained control by August 30. In the aftermath, authorities have detained soldiers suspected of involvement in the uprising, alongside at least one former minister. A local journalist observed that in Niger today, individuals risk disappearing simply for expressing their opinions, noting that Kaka's case mirrors the pattern of other prominent critics of the junta who have vanished.

The current situation is not the first time Moussa Kaka has faced pressure from Nigerien authorities. In October 2025, Kaka was arrested in Niamey alongside five other journalists—Abdoul Aziz Idé, Ibro Chaibou, Souleymane Brah, Youssouf Seriba, and Oumarou Kané. Their detention stemmed from their announcement via social media of a news briefing concerning a government-established solidarity fund aimed at supporting state security force operations. They were subsequently charged under the country's cybercrime law with "complicity in distributing documents likely to disturb public order."

While Kaka, Idé, and Brah were released on bail in November of that year, Seriba and Kané were not released until July 15, and Chaibou on August 28. This history underscores the broad application of Niger's cybercrime law, which has been used to detain journalists and critics. Niger's 2019 cybercrime law was amended on June 12, 2024, to reinstate prison sentences for defamation-related offenses, reversing earlier reforms. Under international human rights law, an enforced disappearance occurs when state forces hold an individual, and the authorities either refuse to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or conceal the person's whereabouts, a definition that aligns with the growing fears surrounding Kaka's case.

The suspected enforced disappearance of Niger journalist Moussa Kaka is indicative of a broader and intensifying crackdown on dissent by the military junta that seized power in a 2023 coup. Since then, the junta has systematically entrenched authoritarian rule, dismantling democratic institutions and escalating repression against its critics. This includes the dissolution of political parties, the suspension of dozens of civil society groups, and the detention of journalists under the expansive cybercrime law.

Further measures taken by the junta include stripping political opponents of their nationality, formally submitting its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, and prolonging the country's political transition indefinitely without holding elections. Niger formally submitted its request to withdraw from the ICC on June 18, 2026, with the withdrawal becoming effective one year later. The regime also continues to arbitrarily detain former President Mohamed Bazoum and prominent human rights defender Moussa Tchangari, highlighting a consistent pattern of suppressing opposition and freedom of expression. The current situation signals an escalating risk of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance for individuals, particularly journalists and critics, in Niger, under the junta's authoritarian rule.

The disappearance of Moussa Kaka forcibly disappeared Niger has drawn urgent calls for action from the international community and human rights advocates. There is a pressing demand for Niger's authorities to immediately disclose Kaka's whereabouts, ensure his safety, and release him without delay, unless he has been formally charged with a valid criminal offense that adheres to international legal standards.

This incident underscores the heightened human rights and operational risks in Niger, particularly concerning freedom of expression and due process. Lawyers advising clients with operations or personnel in Niger should assess these escalating risks, especially in light of the broad application of the cybercrime law and the junta's demonstrated willingness to silence critics through arbitrary detention and suspected enforced disappearances.

This development signals an escalating risk of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance for individuals, particularly journalists and critics, in Niger, under the junta's authoritarian rule. Lawyers advising clients with operations or personnel in Niger should assess heightened human rights and operational risks, particularly concerning freedom of expression and due process under the broad cybercrime law.

Source: Original reporting via Human Rights Watch