RSF Demands Investigation Into Disappearance of Niger Journalist Moussa Kaka

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called on Nigerien authorities to urgently open an investigation to locate journalist Moussa Kaka, who has not been heard from since he left his office in Niamey on the evening of August 31, 2026. The press freedom organisation said it was "preoccupied" by his disappearance in a statement issued Wednesday, September 2.

A Journalist Who Never Made It Home

Kaka, director of the private broadcaster Radio Télévision Saraounia (RTS) and a former correspondent for Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Niger until 2023, left his office at around 7:00 p.m. on August 31 intending to return home, but never arrived.According to RSF, his relatives have been unable to reach him since, and his vehicle has also not been located. Some sources have pointed to the possibility that he was intercepted en route, though this has not been officially confirmed.

RSF'sRSF's Sub-Saharan Africa bureau director, Sadibou Marong, described the disappearance of "a journalist of renown" as especially troubling given that Niger is passing through a fresh period of intense political and security tension following the attempted mutiny of August 29.

The organisation said it is "following the situation closely" and is calling on Nigerien authorities to "immediately open an investigation" both to locate Kaka and to establish the circumstances of his disappearance without delay.

A History of Prior Detention

This is not the first time Kaka has come under pressure from Niger's military authorities. He was previously taken into police custody, alongside RTS editorial secretary Abdoul Aziz Idé and La Voix du Peuple journalist Souleymane Brah, before being released on bail.

Three other journalists, including RTS's Ibro Chaibou, were placed under a detention warrant in November 2025 on related charges. As of this writing, Nigerien authorities have not issued an official response to the reports of Kaka's disappearance.

Context: A Tense Post-Mutiny Climate

Kaka's disappearance comes days after gunfire and explosions rocked Niamey's Air Base 101 during a mutiny attempt by elements of the BSR/COS on August 28 and 29, an episode the ruling junta says it put down with decisive Russian-backed support.

RSF separately condemned the assault of at least eight journalists, including two on assignment for AFP, while covering an opposition rally the previous weekend. Niger has been governed since the July 2023 coup by a military authority regularly accused by rights and press freedom organisations of curbing media freedoms.

Family Appeals for Answers

Kaka's family has said it has received no news of his whereabouts and is calling for a broad mobilisation to trace him and clarify the circumstances of his disappearance. RSF, for its part, is urging Nigerien authorities to do everything possible to locate the journalist as quickly as possible.

This is a developing story. Verified updates will follow as further details emerge.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. ( USIP)

Mustysallama@gmail.com
+233555275880

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