Niger journalist Moussa Kaka missing since August 31, raising alarm over media safety under junta
Nigerien journalist and media executive Moussa Kaka has been missing since August 31 after leaving work in Niamey, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, deepening concern about the safety of reporters under Niger’s military authorities.
The disappearance of prominent journalist Moussa Kaka in Niger’s capital is sharpening concerns about the risks facing media workers under the country’s military rulers.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says Kaka, CEO of Radio Télévision Saraounia and a former correspondent for Reporters Without Borders, has been missing since 31 August in Niamey. He was last seen leaving work that evening in his vehicle, which is also missing. His family has not been able to reach him by phone.
Kaka is not a minor local reporter. He is a well‑known media figure with long‑standing ties to international organisations. His unexplained disappearance sends a chilling signal to other journalists who already operate under pressure from security forces, armed groups and political actors.
For his relatives and colleagues, each day without news hardens the fear that he may be in secret detention or worse. For other reporters, it becomes another reason to think twice before publishing critical coverage of the authorities or security services.
Niger is under military rule following a coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. The junta has cast itself as a defender of national sovereignty and stability, but critics see a tightening grip on dissent that includes curbs on protests and independent reporting.
Internationally, Kaka’s disappearance will be read as a test of how the military authorities treat basic rights. In a country facing insurgent violence and humanitarian strain, independent media are one of the few tools for tracking abuses and policy failures. When a high‑profile journalist can vanish without explanation, it weakens that oversight.
What happens next will depend on whether Niger’s authorities acknowledge that Kaka is missing and open a credible investigation, how strongly regional and international organisations press his case, and whether other Nigerien journalists report a rise in threats, surveillance or detentions in the wake of his disappearance.
Sources
- OSINT