Omanghana
Niger’s military government has provisionally revoked the citizenship of former Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and four other critics living in exile.
The September 17, 2026 decree was signed by junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani and also targets Amadou dit Ange Barou Chekaraou, Oumarou Moussa Ibrahim and Ousmane Abdoul Moumouni, who served as advisers to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Social media activist Boubacar Seyni Souley was the fifth person affected by the order.
The military authorities accused the five of offences including collusion with foreign powers, undermining state security, disseminating information considered likely to disturb public order and attempting to weaken the morale of Niger’s armed forces.
The action was taken under a 2024 ordinance establishing a national database of people suspected of terrorism and other security-related offences.
Human Rights Watch criticized the decree, warning that the use of citizenship revocation against political opponents without adequate due process could expose some of those affected to statelessness. At least four reportedly possess only Nigerien passports. The latest order brings the reported number of exiled figures provisionally stripped of Nigerien citizenship to 25.
The citizenship decision comes as Niger undergoes major political and economic realignments following the July 2023 coup that removed President Bazoum from office.
In a separate development, the US International Development Finance Corporation has approved financing of up to $414 million for the Dasa uranium project in Niger’s northern Agadez region.
The mine is being developed by Canadian company Global Atomic, which holds an 80% interest, while the Nigerien government owns the remaining 20%.
Global Atomic describes Dasa as Africa’s highest-grade uranium deposit. The planned mine is expected to produce more than 68 million pounds of uranium oxide over approximately 23 years, with commercial production targeted for late 2028.
The financing represents a significant American commercial re-entry into Niger about two years after the military government ordered US troops to leave the country. It could also give Washington greater access to uranium at a time when the mineral has become increasingly important to global nuclear-energy supply chains.
The project is advancing amid Niger’s dispute with French state-controlled nuclear company Orano, which lost control of important mining assets after relations between Niamey and Paris deteriorated.
However, the Dasa financing has not yet been fully disbursed. Global Atomic must finalize reliable transport routes for exporting uranium from landlocked Niger, while navigating continuing political, logistical and security risks.
Source: Omanghana
