Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Niger

Four soldiers released

    ABIDJAN

    Four Niger soldiers allegedly involved in the failed kidnap of a member of the country’s former junta last week were released on Saturday, AFP reported Defence Minister Sabiou Dadi Gao as saying.

    They were part of a group of between 12 and 14 soldiers arrested last week and accused of organising the 10 June kidnap of Djibrilla Hamidou Hima, spokesman for the military junta which ruled Niger from April to December 1999, news organisations said. One of the four released is Colonel Issaka Labo, the former deputy chief of army staff.

    The Commission of Human Rights and Fundamental Liberties said that it would launch its own enquiry into the affair, the Kakaki News web site of Niger reported on Saturday. Families of the arrested officers held a demonstration on Wednesday to demand their immediate and unconditional release, calling the arrests “arbitrary” and claiming that the arrested men were set up, it added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join