Niger journalist Ibro Chaibou freed after 10 months

Ibro Chaibou, a journalist at Niger's private Saraounia television channel, was released on Friday after 10 months in custody, his employer said.

Saraounia said Chaibou had been held at Kollo Prison, about 50 kilometres southwest of Niamey. A Nigerien journalists' organisation said he had been the last journalist held in pre-trial detention by Niger's military regime.

Chaibou was among seven journalists arrested in November for “complicity in disseminating a document liable to disturb public order”. Four of them, including Saraounia director Moussa Kaka, were charged and released on bail.

Chaibou, Youssouf Seriba, editor-in-chief of the online publication Les Echos du Niger, and Oumarou Kane, director of Le Herisson newspaper, were incarcerated. Seriba and Kane were granted provisional release in July.

The arrests were linked to the leak of an invitation to a press briefing sent to Saraounia by the Solidarity Fund, which was created by the military to seek financial support from the public. The invitation appeared on social media and was used by associates of ousted civilian president Mohamed Bazoum to criticise the regime.

Niger has been run by a junta since 2023. NGOs regularly accuse it of violating press freedom, and the UN said 13 journalists were arrested in Niger last year.