The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has appealed to Niger’s president regarding alleged violations of the fundamental rights of the country’s Arab Mahamid community. The urgent appeal was sent to President Abdourahamane Tchiani on November 6 and made public on November 9.
Three commission representatives signed the appeal. The signatories included the commissioner responsible for human rights in Niger, alongside the heads of two working groups covering economic, social and cultural rights, and the rights of Indigenous populations, communities and minorities.
The Mahamid are an Arab community with historical links to Chad and Sudan. Many live in the southeastern Diffa region, with some families having settled there for generations. Disputes over nationality and identity documents have repeatedly created friction between the community and the authorities.
Officials have accused some Mahamid residents of obtaining nationality documents fraudulently, trafficking arms, and maintaining links to armed groups around the Lake Chad basin. Governor Mahamadou Ibrahim Bagadoma and other officials discussed nationality papers, cross-border movement, security, and tensions over water and grazing land at a security meeting in Diffa on August 22, according to the state news agency ANP.
ANP reported that Governor Bagadoma warned against holding the entire Arab community responsible for allegations involving particular individuals. These accusations have not been independently verified.
The commission intervention comes after reports of measures restricting the Mahamid from accessing basic services and official documents. The Nigerien publication African Perceptions reported obtaining a copy of an Interior Ministry radio message dated October 7, addressed to the governors of Diffa and Zinder.
According to that publication, the message instructed authorities to close schools and water facilities used by the Mahamid, require community members to pay the full cost of healthcare, and stop issuing civil status documents. It also called for the withdrawal of existing documents, including national identity cards and passports, and directed security forces to enforce the measures.
Chadian broadcaster Radio Ndarason Internationale reported that Mahamid representatives were told at a meeting in Diffa on November 8 that they had two months to leave Niger. The meeting was attended by the Diffa prefect, the Gueskerou administrator, the Komadougou canton chief, and village chiefs. Radio Ndarason stated that community representatives declined to comment when approached.
Another Nigerien publication, La Roue de l’Histoire, reported on November 10 that authorities had set December 31, 2026, as the deadline for the community to leave. Neither publication made a formal expulsion order available, and the decision, its legal basis, or its application to the entire community is unconfirmed.
The human rights commission expressed concern about the reported restrictions on water, education, healthcare, and identity documents. Its appeal to President Tchiani is not a formal finding that the government has violated the community’s rights.
Niger faced a similar dispute in 2006, when the government announced plans to expel Arabs from Diffa to Chad. That operation was suspended following protests and negotiations.
