Niger’s military government says it has released some 50 people detained after last year’s coup – including former ministers, political figures and a journalist.
The announcement was made on national television on Tuesday, where a government official said the decision was “in line with the recommendations of the national consultations for reform held in February”.
The July 2023 coup brought General Abdourahamane Tiani, former head of the presidential guard, to power. Dozens of people were arrested in the weeks that followed, including members of the ousted civilian government and figures accused of plotting against the state.
Ousted president Mohamed Bazoum remains in detention. His legal immunity has been lifted, but no trial date has been set.
Names read on state TV
Several former cabinet members were named among those released. They include Mahamane Sani Issoufou, former oil minister and son of ex-president Mahamadou Issoufou, who governed from 2011 to 2021.
Also freed were Kalla Moutari, former defence minister, Ahmed Djidoud, former finance minister, and Ibrahim Yacoubou, who held the energy portfolio.
“These people have been set free in accordance with recommendations from the national reform conference,” the TV announcement said.
The names of those released were read out for several minutes.
Niger junta sets out five-year transition to constitutional rule
The list of freed detainees extends beyond former cabinet members. Foumakoye Gado, who leads the PNDS party that previously held power, was freed alongside journalist Ousmane Toudou and Alat Mogaskia, Niger's former ambassador to Nigeria.
Many had been held in prisons across the country. Several were accused of “conspiracy aimed at harming the security and authority of the state”, though the government did not say whether charges had been dropped or suspended.
Several military officers previously convicted of attempting coups during the 2010s were among those granted freedom.
General Salou Souleymane, a former armed forces chief of staff, and three other officers who were sentenced in 2018 to up to 15 years in prison for attempting to overthrow Mahamadou Issoufou in 2015 have been released.
Their release was also presented as part of the February recommendations made during the national consultations – a political process launched by the junta after it seized power.
The government has not said whether more releases are planned.
(With newswires)
