The disappearance of Moussa Kaka, one of Niger’s most recognized journalists, has reignited a national conversation about the state of press freedom and what may come next. Since the July 2023 coup that brought General Abdourahamane Tiani to power, journalists in Niger have worked under mounting constraints — arrests, detentions, media suspensions and judicial pressure have become routine. The recent vanishing of Kaka, director-general of Radio-Télévision Saraounia, has pushed those concerns back into the spotlight and raised difficult questions about the future of independent reporting in the country.
Where is Moussa Kaka?
The question echoes through newsrooms and family homes across Niger. Moussa Kaka has not been seen since August 31, 2026. That evening, around 7 p.m., he left his office in Niamey to head home. He never arrived. Since then, his family, friends and colleagues have had no news of him.
Kaka’s disappearance comes after nearly four decades in journalism that made him one of the most familiar figures in Niger’s media landscape. A former correspondent for international broadcasters and press freedom organizations, he built Radio-Télévision Saraounia into a significant outlet over the years.
Reporters Without Borders has called on Nigerien authorities to do everything possible to locate the journalist and clarify the circumstances of his disappearance. The organization has also referred the case to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
At this stage, no public evidence establishes that Nigerien authorities are responsible for his disappearance.
Yet the context surrounding the case is heavy with precedent.
The Serge Mathurin Adou precedent
In September 2024, Ivorian journalist Serge Mathurin Adou, who was based in Niamey and worked notably for Canal 3, also disappeared.
He had told his wife he needed to respond to a summons from the judicial police. Then nothing.
For several weeks, his relatives had no idea where he was. Professional organizations in Côte d’Ivoire expressed alarm. The Ivorian government said it was monitoring the case and taking steps with Nigerien authorities.
The journalist was eventually found alive. He had been detained by Nigerien authorities and was charged with “undermining state security” in a case linked to accusations of destabilizing Burkina Faso.
This case matters in the current debate: it shows that in Niger, a journalist can be considered missing for weeks before the place of detention is officially known.
But it does not allow the conclusion that Moussa Kaka’s disappearance follows the same scenario.
A climate that has worsened since the putsch
On July 26, 2023, President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by soldiers led by General Abdourahamane Tiani.
The change of power marked a turning point for the media.
Transition authorities quickly took measures against several international outlets. Signals of RFI and France 24 were suspended. Relations with several foreign media deteriorated.
Reporters Without Borders considers the coup a major turning point in the deterioration of press freedom in Niger. The organization has documented arrests, detentions and prosecutions targeting journalists since that period.
In this context, topics considered sensitive — the military, security, governance, international relations or how power operates — have become particularly difficult to cover.
Samira Sabou: a secret detention that raised alarm
Just weeks after the coup, the case of journalist and blogger Samira Sabou caused concern.
On September 30, 2023, she was arrested in Niamey by men in civilian clothes claiming to be police officers.
For several days, her relatives did not know where she was.
Reporters Without Borders denounced a secret detention and demanded explanations from authorities. Samira Sabou eventually reappeared at the judicial police headquarters and was held for several days before being released.
Her case became one of the first symbols of the new pressure exerted on journalists since the change of regime.
2024: Arrests multiply
In April 2024, Ousmane Toudou was arrested amid a tense political climate.
A journalist and former communications adviser to deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, he faced charges notably linked to state security.
A few days later, Soumana Idrissa Maïga, publication director of the daily L’Enquêteur, was taken into custody.
His arrest followed the publication of an article about the alleged presence of listening equipment in official buildings.
He was charged with “undermining national defense” and placed in detention.
After more than two months in prison, he received provisional release in July 2024. The Committee to Protect Journalists and RSF denounced the prosecutions against him.
2025: Pressure reaches a new scale
The year 2025 confirmed the trend.
In January, Seyni Amadou, editor-in-chief of Canal 3 TV, was arrested after the broadcast of a “barometer” assessing the performance of government members.
The channel was suspended and the journalist’s press card was also targeted. He was eventually released a few days later.
RSF denounced an attack on press freedom and called on authorities to stop pressure measures against media.
The same month, Gazali Abdou Tasawa, a correspondent for Deutsche Welle, was arrested after a report on the living conditions of migrants and Nigerien refugees in Niamey.
RSF described his detention as arbitrary.
In May, three journalists from Sahara FM — Hamid Mahmoud, Mahaman Sani and Massaouda Jaharou — were arrested after a program on military cooperation between Niger and Russia.
The Committee to Protect Journalists denounced another use of judicial procedures against media professionals working on sensitive topics.
Six journalists arrested in a single case
On October 30, 2025, six journalists and media professionals were arrested in Niamey: Moussa Kaka, Abdoul Aziz Idé, Ibro Chaibou, Souleymane Brah, Youssouf Sériba and Oumarou Kané.
They were prosecuted in a case linked to the circulation on social media of an invitation to a press conference.
Three were released under judicial supervision. The other three — Ibro Chaibou, Youssouf Sériba and Oumarou Kané — remained in detention.
Youssouf Sériba and Oumarou Kané were eventually released in July 2026.
Ibro Chaibou was released on August 28, 2026, after nearly ten months behind bars.
Just days after Ibro Chaibou’s release, Moussa Kaka disappeared.
The timeline is troubling, but it alone does not establish a link between the two events.
Thirteen journalists arrested in 2025
According to the Media Foundation for West Africa, 13 journalists or media professionals were arrested in Niger during 2025.
The figure gives a sense of the scale of pressure on the profession. It includes not only journalists held for long periods but also those arrested and then released.
Alongside these arrests are media suspensions and restrictions targeting certain foreign outlets.
The RSF ranking as an indicator of decline
Reporters Without Borders’ world press freedom index provides another indicator.
In 2025, Niger ranked 83rd out of 180 countries.
In the 2026 ranking, it fell to 120th place.
That is a drop of 37 places in a single year.
For RSF, this evolution reflects in particular the multiplication of journalist arrests, prosecutions and restrictions imposed on media since the 2023 coup.
The organization also highlights the impact of cybercrime legislation, which can expose journalists to criminal prosecution for certain content published online.
After arrests, disappearances: what remains?
The disappearance of Moussa Kaka should not be used to draw conclusions that are not established by facts.
But it occurs in a context that cannot be ignored.
Since the July 2023 coup, Nigerien journalists have faced arrests, detentions, suspensions and judicial proceedings.
Some were released after a few days.
Others spent months in prison.
Serge Mathurin Adou was reported missing before his detention was revealed.
And today, it is Moussa Kaka who is unaccounted for.
A transparent investigation therefore appears essential.
For his family first.
For his colleagues next.
But also for Nigerien society as a whole.
Because press freedom is not measured only by the number of newspapers or radio stations allowed to operate. It is also measured by the ability of journalists to investigate, question power and report facts without fear of being arrested, prosecuted or silenced.
In Niger, the question now goes beyond the fate of Moussa Kaka alone.
It touches on citizens’ right to be informed.
And when a journalist disappears in a context where so many others have already been arrested or detained, another question inevitably imposes itself:
what remains of press freedom when those tasked with exercising it are no longer certain they can return home?