Niger: Democracy Under Threat

Prominent civil society activist Marou Amadou was kidnapped by the Nigerien police on 11 August after being freed by a court on charges of undermining state security. As he was about to leave the prison of Niamey, police officials took him without authorization and brought him to the Koutoukalé high security prison, where he is currently being detained.

Amadou was imprisoned for criticizing the constitutional referendum won by Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja on 4 August that extends presidential term limits and enables him to seek unlimited mandates. The referendum also grants extra powers to the president over the government, army and magistrates.

During his last interview with ISN Security Watch, Amadou accused Tandja of planning to install an authoritarian regime in Niger. He also accused French and Chinese mining companies of indirectly supporting the formation of a dictatorship, as the multi-million-dollar mining deals signed this year for the extraction of uranium and oil put immense economic power in the hands of an anti-democratic leader.

Referring to the contracts signed with French multinational Areva, Amadou said that “This deal benefits France and a small elite close to Tandja, but it pollutes our environment and also our democracy.”

However, the Nigerien president argues that mining revenues will bring development to the country and that the referendum was a legitimate expression of the will of the people; in fact, over 90 percent of the population approved his proposal to remain in power. He also said that the country needs him to “finish the enormous economic projects” he has begun.

But political opposition and civil society tell a very different story. According to opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou, the turnout on 4 August was below 5 percent, and therefore, the external page referendum must be considered a failure.

Niger’s entire civil society network has mobilized against Tandja over the past weeks, and the international community has external page threatened to impose sanctions against the country.

Even though the core of the Nigerien elite and part of the impoverished population has remained close to the president, many former political allies have turned against him as his anti-democratic plans become evident. This situation is creating dangerous divisions inside the country.

Badiè Hima, vice-president of the human rights organization Mouvement Nigérien pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples (MNDHP), tells ISN Security Watch that there are tensions on the rise and he fears conflict in the near future. He is calling on the international community to step in to help keep the peace in Niger, and has launched an appeal to the opposing political parties to seek a solution through peaceful negotiations.

Silent coup

Tandja became president of Niger for the first time in 1999 in an election deemed free and fair by international observers. He was confirmed in 2004 for a second and, in theory, last term.

According to Hima, despite some incidents, before the recent events the relationship between the government and civil society groups was relatively good.

“Marou Amadou collaborated several times in government committees for economic and social development, and for the financial recovery in the country,” Hima says. “But the situation took a negative twist last June, when the Constitutional Court rejected the referendum proposed by Tandja.”

Claiming that the country was in a “state of emergency,” Tandja dissolved the parliament and announced that he would rule by decree. Only a few weeks later, he also announced the dissolution of the Constitutional Court, which was hindering his plans. This move provoked turmoil inside the government coalition and civil society. Tandja’s main ally, the party Democratic and Social Convention (CDS), external page decided to break with the coalition, and six of its seven ministries resigned from the government.

The government also started harassing several members of the civil society as well as journalists critical of the regime. Amadou became a target on two occasions.

On 29 June, Amadou read a declaration on the Dounia television channel issued by the party Front de défense de la démocratie (FDD), calling on the army to respect the Constitution and disobey “an obviously illegal order.” On the same day, Amadou was detained by the judicial police and Dounia was suspended for having broadcast his statement.

On 9 August, five days after the referendum, Amadou again denounced again the illegality of the new constitution and the corruption of Tandja’s government. The following day, he was arrested for “undermining state security.”

After being freed by a court for procedural irregularities on 11 August, Amadou was illegally re-arrested on the same day and brought to a high-security prison.

“Marou Amadou is not the only critical voice against the government. But he is definitely capable of communicating to common Nigerien citizens, so he is considered a great threat by Tandja,” says Hima.

Power in mining

Tandja’s regime seems increasingly isolated by the international community as well as inside Niger. The EU, US, France and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have voiced their disapproval for the current constitutional crisis, and many foreign donors, who provide half of the national budget, have threatened to suspend aid to the government.

However, despite the mounting pressure, the president has given no indications that he is ready to back down or to negotiate with the opposition.

At the moment, Tandja’s power seems to stand on solid ground thanks to certain economic interests in massive mining deals signed in recent years. Mining revenues represented 62 percent of export revenues in 2007 and look set to increase exponentially in the coming years when the Imouraren uranium complex, which is being financed by French nuclear giant Areva, begins functioning in 2012, producing over 5,000 tonnes of uranium every year.

However, Tandja’s grip on power is creating serious tensions in the country, and there are increasing concerns that peace in Niger may be at stake.

Political harassment and intimidation of civil society leaders and journalist has continued over the past weeks. Aside from the arrest of Amadou, Reporters Sans Frontières has also external page denounced the arrest of the editor of an independent Nigerien newspaper and intimidation against eight journalists who were questioned by the police for similar reasons.

Tandja officially ended emergency rule on 19 August and announced that new presidential elections would be held on 20 October.