A PROMINENT Niger civil society leader and staunch critic of the military-led government, Moussa Tchangari, has been arrested after returning from a trip abroad. His detention, which occurred late on Tuesday, comes amid his vocal opposition to the military junta that took power following the July 2023 coup.
Tchangari, the secretary general of the Alternative Citizen Spaces association, has been an outspoken advocate for Niger’s ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who was democratically elected before being overthrown. He has condemned the junta’s actions, calling the coup a ‘setback’ for the country’s democratic progress.
Uncertainty surrounds arrest
The exact reasons for Tchangari’s arrest remain unclear. Sources within his NGO and local media report that security forces detained him after his return to Niger. According to Kaka Touda, a member of Tchangari’s NGO, he was taken by armed men to an undisclosed location. Touda further noted that a security unit was stationed outside Tchangari’s home following his arrest, suggesting increased surveillance.
The Air Info newspaper reported that Tchangari was apprehended by four men dressed in civilian clothing upon his return to his residence. It is also reported that security forces conducted searches at his home, seizing his phone and computer.
Tchangari’s previous arrests and criticisms
This is not the first time Tchangari has been targeted for his outspoken criticisms. In May 2015, he was arrested and later provisionally released after his NGO raised concerns over the humanitarian crisis in southeastern Niger, a region still grappling with jihadist violence. His arrest at the time had raised alarms about the growing crackdown on dissent in the country.
His most recent arrest follows a series of incidents that have highlighted the increasingly repressive nature of the junta’s rule. Just last month, Nigerien-Ivorian journalist Serge Mathurin Adou was also detained, accused of attempting to destabilise the neighbouring junta-led government of Burkina Faso.
Junta’s shift in alliances
Since the military coup that ousted President Bazoum, Niger’s ruling junta has distanced itself from its former colonial power, France, and has increasingly sought alliances with other military regimes in the Sahel region, such as those in Mali and Burkina Faso. The junta has also been forging closer ties with Russia, further shifting the country’s foreign policy landscape.
The arrest of Moussa Tchangari underscores the escalating tension between Niger’s military rulers and civil society figures who continue to oppose their authority. As the junta faces growing domestic and international scrutiny, the future of political freedoms in Niger remains uncertain.
Tchangari’s detention is likely to spark further debate on the state of civil rights and the country’s trajectory under military rule. The international community will be watching closely as Niger grapples with its evolving political landscape.
