Since the military takeover in July 2023, the state of human rights in Niger has experienced a continuous decline. Throughout 2025, the ruling military council persisted in its crackdown on political rivals, dissenters, labor leaders, and members of the press. Authorities have maintained the arbitrary confinement of former President Mohamed Bazoum and his spouse, alongside various ousted government officials, media professionals, and human rights defenders.
Niger remains embroiled in conflicts with several Islamist militant organizations, including the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS), the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM), Boko Haram, and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Violence has surged in the western Tillabéri region and along the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, placing civilian populations at significantly higher risk.
In August, the junta introduced an initiative known as « Garkuwar Kassa » (« Shields of the Homeland »), designed to enlist and train civilians to support the national armed forces. This move has sparked international concern regarding the potential for human rights violations by these newly formed militias.
Earlier in the year, specifically in March, General Abdourahamane Tiani took the oath of office as the transitional president without holding any elections, further tightening his grip on the nation and stalling the return to democratic rule. Furthermore, Abdourahamane Tiani issued a decree that effectively abolished the multi-party political system across Niger.
In January, the military leadership withdrew Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), joined by Mali and Burkina Faso. This exit restricts the ability of citizens to seek legal redress through the ECOWAS Court of Justice. By September, these three nations also signaled their intent to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), a decision that threatens to block access to justice for victims of war crimes and atrocities.
Atrocities committed by Islamist militant groups
The Islamist insurgency, which initially erupted in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015, has caused widespread suffering for over a decade. In 2025, the ISS ramped up its violence against civilians in the Tillabéri area, executing hundreds of villagers and worshippers while looting and destroying homes.
- March 21: ISS fighters attacked a mosque in Fambita, killing 46 people, including three children, during afternoon prayers. They also stole livestock and burned 20 residences.
- May 13: An assault on the hamlet of Dani Fari resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, including two boys, and the destruction of 12 homes.
- June 21: Over 70 worshippers, including five children, were massacred during morning prayers at a mosque in Manda.
- June 20-23: In the Abarkaize and Ezzak areas, militants executed local leaders and residents, often by slitting their throats, after accusing them of collaborating with the Nigerien military.
Survivors of these tragedies reported that the Nigerien military failed to act on warnings or provide protection, despite explicit requests from the targeted communities. The militants often demanded the payment of zakat (an Islamic tax) before launching these lethal raids.
Suppression of political opposition and dissent
Since the 2023 coup, Mohamed Bazoum and his wife have been held at the presidential palace in Niamey, the capital, with no access to their legal team or family. Following a 2024 decision to lift his presidential immunity—through a process that lacked transparency and due process—the former president faces potential trial. Although the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for their immediate release, the couple remains in custody.
The junta has also carried out the arbitrary arrest of dozens of former officials and associates of the previous administration. While approximately 50 detainees were released in April, many others remain imprisoned for political reasons. Among them is Moussa Tiangari, a prominent human rights activist arrested in Niamey in December 2024. Charged with conspiracy against the state and links to terrorism, Moussa Tiangari faces a possible death sentence and continues to be held without a trial date, despite legal appeals from his defense team.
Restrictions on media and freedom of association
Press freedom has been severely compromised since the transition to military rule. Journalists in Niger face threats, harassment, and detention, leading many to practice self-censorship to avoid retaliation. In early 2025, the Ministry of Communication briefly suspended Canal 3 TV and revoked the press credentials of its editor, Seyni Amadou, after a broadcast critical of government ministers.
In February 2025, the military authorities ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to cease operations and leave Niger without providing a justification. Later in May, security forces arrested three journalists from Sahara FM in Agadez for reporting on shifts in international security cooperation involving Russia and Turkey; they remain in custody.
Labor rights have also come under fire. In August, the Ministry of the Interior dissolved four judicial unions, claiming they had strayed from their professional mandates. This move was met with fierce resistance from the Nigerien Bar Association and the Union of Workers’ Trade Unions of Niger, who organized strikes to protest this encroachment on judicial independence and the right to associate.