Niger: Authorities failing to uphold their commitment to respect human rights since military coup
Amnesty International documented human rights violations including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, abuses of detainees' rights and violations of the right to a fair trial and of press freedom. The victims of arbitrary detention include former President Mohamed Bazoum, his wife, seven cabinet members of the fallen regime, journalists and human rights defenders.
"The Nigerien authorities made a commitment to respect the rule of law and human rights. Our report shows that they have clearly failed." Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa
'Upon taking power, the new authorities justified their coup on a continued worsening of the security situation and poor economic and social governance. They made a commitment to respect the rule of law and human rights. Our report shows that they have clearly failed, with a sharp escalation of human rights violations since the coup. They must now keep their commitment', said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Human rights trampled in law and practice
On 28 July 2023, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (Conseil national pour la sauvegarde de la patrie – CNSP), formed by the military who perpetrated the coup, suspended the 2010 Constitution. The CNSP made an ordinance stressing Niger's commitment to the rule of law and pluralist democracy and to the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
'Despite the guarantees given by the new Nigerien authorities, human rights have been trampled in law and practice. Arbitrary detentions have become common and court rulings are not respected,' said Marceau Sivieude.
Since the coup, former President Mohamed Bazoum and his spouse, Hadiza Mabrouk, have been detained despite a December 2023 ECOWAS Court of Justice ruling that declared their detention arbitrary and called for their release. In June 2024, the former president's immunity was lifted by the State Court, in a process in which he was denied access to his lawyers. Mohamed Bazoum has been charged with 'high treason' and 'plotting with the purpose of threatening state security or the authority of the state', while no charges have been brought against Hadiza Mabrouk. Seven former cabinet ministers, charged with 'infringing on national defence' before military courts, remain arbitrarily detained, despite judicial orders calling for the release of some of them.
"Amnesty International calls on the Nigerien authorities to respect international and regional treaties they are still bound to." Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Interim Regional Director for West and Central Africa
The CNSP has also suspended the activities of political parties since July 2023 and rolled back some human rights progress by reinstating prison sentences for offences of defamation. A national registry of persons allegedly involved in terrorism-related activities and other offences was established, which has already been misused to include critics and temporarily deprive them of their citizenship.
'If you criticize the government, be sure that you risk being arrested'
Violations of the right to freedom of expression affecting citizens, civil society members and journalists have been relentless since the coup. In January 2024, the Press House (Maison de la presse), an umbrella group of 32 media organizations, was suspended and replaced by an ad hoc committee headed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior. Several journalists have been arbitrarily detained, and several international media outlets have been suspended.
The journalist Ousmane Toudou, Mohamed Bazoum's former communications adviser and critic of the current regime, was arrested on 13 April 2024 and accused of 'treason and plotting against the state security'. He remains in detention but has no trial date set.
On 24 April 2024, the editor of the newspaper L'Enquêteur, Soumana Maiga, was arrested after his newspaper published a story about the alleged installation of listening equipment by Russian agents in official state buildings. He is charged with 'infringement of national defence.' On 9 July 2024, he was freed pending trial. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Moussa Tchangari, secretary general of the organization Citizens' Alternative Spaces (Alternatives Espaces Citoyens – AEC), known for his criticism of the authorities, was arrested in December 2024. He was charged with 'infringing on national defence' and 'intelligence with enemy countries' among other charges and remains arbitrarily detained. If convicted, he could face 10 years of imprisonment.
In this repressive climate, self-censorship has become the norm among journalists and human rights defenders, for fear of reprisals. 'If you criticize the government, be sure that you risk being arrested', a civil society member told Amnesty International.
'With the transition period potentially extending to five renewable years following the recommendations of a national consultation held last February, Amnesty International calls on the Nigerien authorities to respect international and regional treaties they are still bound to, which protect the rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, guarantee the right to a fair trial and the rights of those in detention, and prohibit torture and other ill-treatment. They must release all arbitrarily detained persons immediately,' said Marceau Sivieude.
Amnesty International shared the preliminary findings of this report on 13 February 2025 with the Nigerien authorities. At the time of finalizing the report, no responses had been received.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
4 hours ago
- Zawya
Nigeria: Thousands killed, hundreds forcibly disappeared in two years in South-East region
1,844 people killed between January 2021 and June 2023 Gunmen killed over 400 people in Imo state between 2019 and 2021 Hundreds of people arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared The Nigerian authorities' persistent failure to address the security crisis in the country's South-East region has created a free-for-all reign of impunity in which numerous state and non-state actors have committed serious human rights violations and killed at least 1,844 people between January 2021 and June 2023, Amnesty International said today. The report, A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in Southeast Nigeria, documents unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and displacement at the hands of rampaging gunmen, state-backed paramilitary outfits, vigilantes, criminal gangs and cults in the South-East region between January 2021 and December 2024. 'The Nigerian authorities' brutal clampdown on pro-Biafra protests from August 2015 plunged the South-East region into an endless cycle of bloodshed, which has created a climate of fear and left many communities vulnerable. Assassinations of prominent personalities and attacks on highways, security personnel and facilities are chilling reminders of the region's insecurity,' said Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria. 'The government must stop turning a blind eye to the unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and destruction of properties in the South-East region. Authorities must live up to their constitutional and international human rights obligations including by ensuring all suspected perpetrators are brought to justice in fair trial, no matter who they are, and that victims and their families have access to justice and effective remedies.' The report is based on interviews with 100 people, including survivors, victims' relatives, civil society members, lawyers, traditional leaders, and religious leaders. Amnesty International also conducted research missions to Owerri in Imo state, Asaba in Delta state, Obosi in Anambra state, and Enugu in Enugu state between April 2023 to November 2023. Violent attacks by 'unknown gunmen' Gunmen killed over 400 people in Imo state between January 2019 and December 2021, often emerging from their camps unmasked to carry out attacks on residents, police stations, and vigilante offices. The raids have triggered reprisal attacks resulting in death and injury for thousands of residents. Victims described how the gunmen appear, routinely demanding money from communities during burial ceremonies and weddings. Anyone who resists risks being subjected to violent attack during the night, and their house set on fire. Ebulie, who survived an attack by gunmen in Ihiala told Amnesty International: 'The 'unknown gunmen' are armed – some come with guns, cutlasses, and machetes. If they come for an attack, anyone that blocks their way, they will kill them. It has been a terrible situation, people are scared…' Nigerian authorities continue to blame the pro-Biafran organization IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) and its militant arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) for most of the deadly attacks in the region. IPOB/ESN deny involvement in the activities of the 'unknown gunmen' and their camps. However, the enforcement of a sit-at-home order by IPOB/ESN, across the South-East region, issued on 9 August 2021, has led to human rights violations with people beaten or even killed for defying the order. Schools have been shut, exams disrupted, forcing children to stay away from schools. Markets have been closed with harsh economic consequences for communities across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. Climate of fear and disruption to daily life Insecurity in South-East Nigeria has affected people's rights including the rights to life, physical integrity, security, liberty and freedom of movement. Many people have not travelled to their hometowns for several years for fear of attack or abduction. Traditional marriage and burial ceremonies that were normally conducted in people's ancestral homes now mostly take place in other communities outside the South-East due to fear of attack by the gunmen. Gunmen have turned some communities into 'ungoverned spaces,' by sacking traditional rulers, displacing residents, and taking total control of communities, including Agwa and Izombe in the Oguta Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo state and Lilu in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State. Amnesty International's report also documents abuses and killings by various cult groups, which operate unchecked amidst a thriving drug business, in several towns in Anambra state, including Obosi, Awka, Onitsha, Ogidi and Umuoji. The report reveals how the state-backed Ebube Agu paramilitary force, established by the South-East governors on 11 April 2021, has been used as a tool to harass and intimidate opponents and critics of the state governments. It is also responsible for arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and destruction of homes. During military operations in the South-East, Nigerian security agencies, including the military and police, committed unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and destruction of property. Despite the scale of the atrocities against the people, justice and adequate reparations have eluded victims of the violence. 'No one knows exactly the number of people killed in the southeast since August 2015. Many people have been declared missing or forcibly disappeared. The number of high-profile killings and the consistent fear of possible attacks, anywhere and anytime, show how badly the authorities are failing to protect lives and property and ensure law and order. Impunity for these human rights crimes continues to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of other human rights,' said Isa Sanusi. 'The Nigerian authorities must uphold their constitutional and international human rights obligations by guaranteeing, protecting and ensuring the rights to life, physical integrity, and liberty security and safety of the people and stemming the tide of rampant insecurity in South-East region. Authorities must undertake prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigations into all allegations of violations and abuses committed by state and non-state actors in the region.' Background Amnesty International has been documenting human rights violations by state, non-state, criminal gangs, and state backed paramilitary outfits in the south since August 2015. This report builds on the research published on 24 November 2016, detailing brutal crackdown on pro-Biafra activists by Nigerian security forces. Findings of this report were shared with the governors of South-East states and Nigeria's security agencies. No response was received. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Middle East Eye
Though tiny, pathogens could become Israel's deadliest weapon in Gaza
Even as it continues to bomb the Palestinian civilians it is starving, Israel is pushing ahead with what may be its ultimate - or perhaps penultimate - vision for Gaza: the physical confinement of survivors in a guarded zone on Rafah's rubble - an actual concentration camp. If it is not stopped, pathogens could yet become Israel's deadliest weapon in Gaza. Disease is often not merely a side effect but a major agent in genocides, from smallpox that devastated the Indigenous peoples of the Americas to the barracks of Auschwitz. Concentration camps in particular have a long and ghastly history as places where, by design or otherwise, disease kills as many as - or even more than - those directly killed by the genocidal regime that confines them. In the Napoleonic Wars, British soldiers died of infectious disease eight times more often than of combat wounds, while the American Civil War saw some 600,000 deaths from malaria, dysentery and other infectious diseases. Cramming a demoralised, traumatised and severely malnourished population into a small area with little or no infrastructure makes the spread of disease in conflict settings even more dangerous. This is now taking shape in Gaza, as Israeli forces forcibly concentrate roughly 2.3 million genocide survivors into an ever-smaller area. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Acutely starving survivors of what Amnesty International calls "a live-streamed genocide" are next to be forced into the space until recently occupied by the city of Rafah, once former US President Joe Biden's untouchable "red line" - now 64 sqkm of debris and human remains. This is not happening incidentally. Following the broad lines of an idea first floated by Defence Minister Israel Katz, this tiny "humanitarian city" is to contain an initial 600,000 heavily vetted survivors (that is, those not selected at entry for detention, or executed point blank), then the remaining surviving population of Gaza - creating a potential population density of nearly 35,938 people per square kilometre. In such an environment, even minor infections can become fatal, turning treatable illnesses into mass killers. Deadly confinement As reported by Ha'aretz, the confined Palestinians are to be guarded - and fed - by international partners, most likely Israel- and US-backed private security contractors linked to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries among aid-seekers. According to Mondoweiss, citing a 31 July Wall Street Journal report, the plan may also involve Emirati services and the local militia of Abu Shabab - an infamous gang leader reportedly armed and backed by Israel, whose fighters have looted aid trucks in the Rafah area. They are not to be allowed to leave. Even a glancing familiarity with the history of concentration camps is enough to know that, regardless of the precise details of the ultimate model, infectious disease is now likely to kill vastly more survivors than US and Israeli missiles over 22 months of daily atrocities. The history of concentration camps shows disease is likely to kill more survivors than US and Israeli missiles over 22 months of daily atrocities The first sites to receive the name "concentration camp" were established by the British during the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa to confine mostly (but not only) Boer combatants. Some 28,000 Boer prisoners died of typhoid in these camps, as did Herero and Nama detainees in camps in what is now Namibia during Germany's first genocide. Japanese-Canadian and Japanese-American detainees imprisoned in camps in the United States and Canada during the Second World War likewise suffered epidemics. In concentration camps in Nazi-occupied Europe, vast numbers of deaths resulted before and just after liberation from epidemics that raged through close quarters with deliberately appalling conditions. Anne Frank, of course, famously died at Bergen-Belsen of probable typhus shortly before both her 16th birthday and the camp's liberation. Engineered outbreaks Through 22 months of Israel's siege, bombardment and ground invasions, infrastructure and personnel of the existing healthcare system have been systematically targeted and destroyed. Mothers are too malnourished to produce immune-supporting as well as nutritionally vital breastmilk - considered the safest way to protect babies and infants in conflict settings from increased infections - even as Israel prohibits the entry of baby formula. Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza Missiles have targeted water desalination plants, wastewater treatment facilities, fuel trucks, solar panels that reduced energy dependency on Israel, and other water, sanitation and energy infrastructure, and the siege denies access to chlorine and materials and equipment to repair damaged infrastructure. It was concentration camp proponent Katz, then Israel's minister of energy and infrastructure, who wrote on 13 October 2023 of the civilian population of Gaza: "They will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world." As a result, epidemics have swept through the population of Gaza, including viruses, bacteria and fungal infections; water-borne, air-borne, and transmitted by physical contact. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in December 2023 that diseases might end up killing more people than bombs and missiles, with spokesperson Margaret Harris stating: "Eventually, we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment if we are not able to put back [together] this health system and provide the basics of life: food, water, medicines and of course fuel to operate the hospitals." Infections seen from early on have included waves of SARS-CoV-2, gastrointestinal infections causing diarrhoea, skin diseases, and a resurgence of vaccine-derived polio. International researchers and healthcare organisations alike repeatedly note the risk of cholera outbreaks. To prevent polio's spread beyond Gaza, Israel assented to pauses in the bombings killing children daily so those children might be vaccinated - but used a quadcopter to drop a stun grenade beside a polio vaccination clinic during one such humanitarian pause, injuring six people, including four children. Healthcare collapse At this point, healthcare workers are themselves literally collapsing from hunger, dehydration and malnutrition. Illness, lack of pay or meagre food rations previously received have not been reasons to miss work. A surgeon reported operating while suffering gastroenteritis. Antimicrobial resistance is a large and growing issue in Gaza. In April 2024, Save the Children had already warned that malnourishment (acute even in the first four months of Israel's war on Gaza) was leading to diseases that could be fatal in children, whose immune systems shut down in the face of starvation, with lack of protein and specific nutrients increasing vulnerability to infection. How can Palestinian medics 'cooperate' with Israeli health bodies during a genocide? Read More » The WHO warned this year that infectious diseases like measles, pneumonia or pathogens that cause diarrhoea become part of a cycle: malnourishment makes it hard for young bodies to fight off infections, while infections increase unachievable nutritional needs. According to Oxfam, Gaza has thus become "a petri dish of disease", with a recent doubling of acute jaundice, a 302 percent increase in bloody diarrhoea, and water-borne diseases up by 150 percent from already frightening rates. Specific factors that could accelerate deadly disease outbreaks are already at play in Gaza. Extreme temperatures, lack of protection from the elements, inadequate latrine access, bacterially contaminated food supplies, persistence of pests like insects and rats, and shared utensils are all factors documented as contributing to infectious disease at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. These included typhus, typhoid, dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, diphtheria, infectious diarrhoea, scabies and a range of purulent skin diseases. Many of these have already been reported, some at epidemic levels, in Gaza today. Watery and bloody diarrhoea have been rampant in the overcrowded tent camps of displaced people, along with jaundice, acute hepatitis, and respiratory infections from early in the genocide, as well as skin infections. A drastic drop in vaccination rates in previously highly vaccine-compliant Gaza (polio vaccination rates were over 99 percent, for example) makes it far more likely that infections will become epidemic. Horrific outcome On 12 July, UN bodies warned that Israel's siege-induced collapse of remaining fuel supplies, critical to what remains of clean water and sanitation systems, threatens to further spread disease. By June 2025, 77 percent of water and sanitation facilities were off limits to Palestinians, being either under evacuation orders or in Israeli militarised zones, like 82.6 percent of Gaza's physical territory. Without comprehensive nourishment, sanitation and care, pathogens will carry out Israel's genocidal dirty work It will not be enough to stop bombing Gaza, nor to flood the territory with food and potable water. Any plan that does not include careful, closely monitored re-feeding of starving people and regular nourishment that addresses months of protein and essential vitamin and mineral deficiencies will not be good enough. A response that omits attentive wound care, re-establishment of extensive sanitation infrastructure, and access to hygiene for a population no longer strong enough to travel even short distances to keep clean or access toilet facilities will also fail. Most of all, the horrific history of sites that involve enforced detention and concentration of human beings tells us that any such plan is a programme under which pathogens will carry out Israel's genocidal dirty work. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
UAE Moments
05-08-2025
- UAE Moments
Hundreds Gather in Lebanon to Mark Five Years Since Beirut Blast
On Monday, August 4, hundreds of Lebanese gathered solemnly near Beirut's coastline to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the devastating port explosion that killed over 200 people and injured thousands in 2020—one of the largest non‑nuclear explosions in history. The gathering included portraits of victims, Lebanese flags, and a moving reading of names, followed by a silence at precisely 6:07 p.m.—the exact time when the blast tore through the city. Despite early promises from government officials that accountability would follow swiftly, no individuals have been held responsible for the disaster. Victims' families and rights groups voiced deep frustration at the lack of progress. As eyewitness William Noun declared, 'This file needs to close. It's been five years and we don't want to have a sixth'. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, both elected in 2025, pledged renewed focus on the investigation. Aoun stated: 'Justice will not die, and accountability will inevitably come,' though notably neither leader attended the memorial event. Investigating judge Tarek Bitar has resumed work on the stalled probe. While he has questioned senior officials and security personnel, a formal indictment has yet to be issued, disappointing many who hoped for closure by the anniversary. Activists and legal advocates, including families like that of Paul Naggear, whose young daughter was killed, continue to press for a comprehensive investigation. Amnesty International's Lebanon campaigner, Reina Wehbi, emphasised that 'justice delayed is justice denied,' calling for a full inquiry to end the impunity that has persisted for half a decade. The wreckage of the grain silos—damaged in the blast and further deteriorating over the years—stands as a lasting monument to the disaster and a symbol of national trauma. This article was previously published on omanmoments. To see the original article, click here
