Niger : dissolution et répression des syndicats du secteur de la justice
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 condemns the recent actions in Niger. On August 7, 2025, the Minister of Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration issued decrees dissolving five justice sector unions. This was swiftly followed by the removal of two leading magistrates from the Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Niger (Saman) for voicing criticism against these dissolutions. The Observatory urges the Nigerien authorities to immediately reverse these decisions and uphold fundamental freedoms, including the rights to association and to form trade unions, in line with both national laws and international commitments.
On August 7, 2025, General Mohamed Toumba, Niger’s Minister of Interior, signed five ministerial decrees ordering the dissolution of 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 orders were issued without 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 deviations detrimental to the proper functioning of public service.” He further claimed that the unions had “strayed” from their designated 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 the unions appears flawed, relying on an unsuitable ordinance that contravenes the Labour Code and established union freedoms in Niger. According to a communiqué released on Saturday, August 9, 2025, by the Union of Workers’ Unions of Niger (USTN), Ordinance N°84-06 of March 1, 1984, which concerns the legal framework for associations in Niger, applies exclusively to non-profit organizations. It is not applicable to trade unions, which fall under a distinct legal regime, 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. Consequently, these dissolutions, lacking a proper legal foundation, are deemed null and void and cannot be enforced against the unions.
Magistrate union leaders who dared to speak out against these unlawful dissolutions subsequently faced severe executive sanctions. 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 disciplinary action followed Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane’s critique of the judicial union dissolutions on August 7, 2025, and his request for a right of reply to the Justice Minister’s press conference on August 8. Less than 24 hours later, on August 15, 2025, President Tiani issued another presidential decree to dismiss and exclude Mr. Moussa Mahamadou, Deputy Secretary-General of Saman, from the magistracy. This dismissal was a direct consequence of a union communiqué, signed by Moussa Mahamadou, which condemned the sanction against his superior and called for a general strike—a move authorities in Niger labeled as illegal—until Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane’s reinstatement.
The dissolution of justice sector unions raises profound concerns regarding the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, both cornerstones of a democratic state. These administrative dissolution decisions represent a grave infringement upon fundamental freedoms, primarily the freedom of association, which is recognized by Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Niger is a party, and Article 36 of Niger’s Refoundation Charter of March 26, 2025. The Niger Bar Association, for its part, has denounced “the compromising 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 union rights, protected by several international commitments made by Niger. These include 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 Refoundation Charter 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 are part of a broader effort to intimidate and silence the judiciary. These actions unfold within a context marked by a shrinking civic space and repeated assaults on the fundamental rights of all dissenting voices. On numerous occasions, 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 the protection of union rights and the independence of the judiciary are essential pillars of the rule of law and democracy. The Observatory calls upon the Nigerien authorities to promptly revoke the dissolution decrees for the five justice sector unions and to immediately reinstate Abdoul-Nasser Bagna Abdourahamane and Moussa Mahamadou into the magistracy. The Observatory condemns all forms of harassment, intimidation, or sanctions against unions and human rights defenders and demands full respect for freedom of association and union rights, in accordance with Niger’s national and international obligations.
