The military government of Niger has terminated its intelligence cooperation with Russia and Turkey, saying the surveillance systems and related personnel failed to live up to expectations.
Niger’s General Directorate of Documentation and External Security was particularly upset with the quality of telephone communications interceptions, according to Military Africa.
Niger instead turned to a Moroccan company specializing in digital intelligence. That deal soured quickly when Niger learned that the company had an indirect connection with France. Since the July 2023 military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the Niger junta’s foreign policy has excluded traditional Western partners.
Since that time, the country’s lack of reliable intelligence partners has undermined its ability to monitor and respond to security threats.
Niger reportedly did not want the public to know about its termination of the Russian and Turkish surveillance services. Jurist news reported that three radio journalists were arrested on May 8 after their station aired a report about the terminations, and the brief partnership with the Moroccan company.
“After being interrogated by the police, the journalists were taken to the prosecutor’s office, and the court ordered their release the next day due to the lack of legal grounds for their detention,” Jurist news reported. “Later, during the night between May 9 and 10, the reporters were arrested again.” The international Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Nigerien authorities to “swiftly and unconditionally” release the three.
Experts say Niger is struggling to respond to its ongoing security crisis. In 2024, the country suffered the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally, rising by 94% to a total of 930. The country also hosts nearly 1 million refugees and internally displaced people who have fled violence.
The current lack of diplomatic connections between ECOWAS and the alliance “makes it increasingly difficult to exchange intelligence and conduct joint patrols,” Bakary Sambe of the Sahel-based Timbuktu Institute told Benin Intelligent. “And yet, these countries would do well to work together, despite their diplomatic differences.”
The abrupt cancellation of intelligence services has forced Niger to look for ways to bolster its security. The Presidential Guard has stepped in, launching night patrols across sensitive parts of the capital city of Niamey, according to Military Africa.
“Operatives in civilian clothing, traveling on foot and motorcycles, now monitor key locations like the Hospital Roundabout, the Justice Ministry, the Yantala district, the Congress Palace, and the embassy zone from midnight to 6:00 a.m.,” Military Africa reported.
