The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a collaborative initiative by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), strongly denounces the dissolution of five justice sector unions in Niger. These actions, implemented via decrees from the Minister of Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration on August 7, 2025, were followed by the expulsion of two leading magistrates from the Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Niger (Saman) who had voiced criticism. The Observatory urges Nigerien authorities to immediately revoke these decisions and uphold fundamental freedoms, including the rights to association and trade unionism, in line with both national and international commitments.
Paris, Geneva, August 21, 2025. On August 7, 2025, General Mohamed Toumba, Niger’s Minister of Interior, issued five decrees to dissolve several prominent unions: the Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Niger (Saman), the Union of Magistrates of Niger (Uman), the National Union of Justice Agents (Snaj), the Union of Cadres and Technical Agents of the Ministry of Justice (Syncat), and the Independent Union of Magistrates of Niger (Siman). These ministerial decrees notably lacked any stated justification.
The following day, August 8, 2025, Justice Minister Alio Daouda, in a press briefing, asserted that these governmental measures were enacted due to “repeated misconduct detrimental to the proper functioning of public service.” He claimed the unions had “deviated” from their core roles by prioritizing “personal interests.” In response, Saman and the Niger Bar Association declared a symbolic strike for August 14 and 15, 2025, to protest these decrees.
The government’s basis for dissolving these unions appears to be a misapplication of legal frameworks, thereby infringing upon the Labour Code and the recognized freedom of association in Niger. According to a statement released on Saturday, August 9, 2025, by the Union of Workers’ Unions of Niger (USTN), Ordinance N°84-06 of March 1, 1984, concerning associations in Niger, which the ministerial decrees cited, exclusively pertains to non-profit organizations and is not applicable to trade unions. Unions are governed by a distinct legal framework, specifically the Labour Code of the Republic of Niger, Law N°2012-45 of September 25, 2012, and international conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) ratified by Niger. Lacking a proper legal foundation, these dissolutions are thus considered null and void, and unenforceable against the unions.
Unionist magistrates who dared to challenge these unlawful dissolutions subsequently faced severe executive penalties. On August 14, 2025, Niger’s President, Abdourahamane Tiani, issued a presidential decree to dismiss and exclude Mr. Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane, Secretary-General of Saman, from the magistracy. This sanction followed Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane’s criticisms regarding the judicial union dissolutions of August 7, 2025, and his demand for a right of reply to the Justice Minister’s press conference on August 8. The next day, August 15, 2025, President Tiani issued another presidential decree to dismiss and exclude Mr. Moussa Mahamadou, Deputy Secretary-General of Saman, from the magistracy, less than 24 hours after his superior. This dismissal was a direct consequence of a union statement signed by Moussa Mahamadou, which condemned the sanction against his Secretary-General and called for a general strike—deemed illegal by Nigerien authorities—until his reinstatement.
The dissolution of justice sector unions raises significant concerns about the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, both foundational elements of democracy. These administrative dissolution decisions represent a serious infringement on fundamental freedoms, particularly the freedom of association, which is guaranteed by Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Niger is a signatory, and Article 36 of Niger’s Charter of Refoundation dated March 26, 2025. The Niger Bar Association, for its part, condemned “the compromise of trade union freedom, judicial independence, freedom of expression, and to some extent, even the right to defense.”
These measures also violate the right to freedom of association and unionize, protected by several international commitments made by Niger, including Articles 10 and subsequent articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Articles 21 and 22 of the ICCPR, ILO Convention No. 87 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, ratified by Niger in 1961, ILO Convention No. 98 concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively, ratified in 1962, and Article 38 of Niger’s Charter of Refoundation of March 26, 2025. These instruments collectively guarantee the right of workers and employers to establish organizations for the defense of their professional interests.
The Observatory observes with deep concern that these dissolution and dismissal decisions appear to be part of a broader effort to intimidate and silence the judiciary. These actions unfold within a climate characterized by a diminishing civic space and recurrent infringements on the fundamental rights of all dissenting voices. Repeatedly, the rights to freedom of expression, opinion, association, assembly, and demonstration have been violated, notably through arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights defenders. Among them is Mr. Moussa Tchangari, who has been arbitrarily detained for nearly nine months, particularly after attending a meeting of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and criticizing the Nigerien Interior Minister’s decision to revoke the licenses of two humanitarian organizations.
The Observatory reiterates that safeguarding trade union rights and ensuring the independence of the judiciary are fundamental pillars of the rule of law and democracy. The Observatory calls upon the Nigerien authorities to promptly revoke the dissolution decrees affecting the five justice sector unions and to immediately reinstate Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane and Moussa Mahamadou to the magistracy. The Observatory condemns all forms of harassment, intimidation, or sanctions against trade unions and human rights defenders, demanding full respect for freedom of association and trade union rights, in accordance with Niger’s national and international obligations.