Rights Groups Condemn Niger’s Crackdown as Threat to Workers’ Freedoms and Democracy
Gen. Mohamed Toumba, the interior minister who was among the officers who ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, addresses supporters in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. © 2023 AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File.
Niger’s military junta dissolved four key justice-sector unions on August 7, further shrinking civic space and threatening judicial independence.
The unions—SANAM, UNAM, SNAJ, and SYNCAT—were accused of serving “private interests,” though no formal explanation was given.
Since taking power in July 2023, the junta has cracked down on opposition, media, and civil society, detained former President Bazoum and activist Moussa Tiangari, and delayed elections.
Rights groups condemned the move as a violation of workers’ freedoms and a blow to democratic institutions.
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