Niger Lawyers Stage Two-Day Strike to Protest Dissolution of Justice Unions

Edited By: Africa Eye ( With AFP)

The Niger Bar Association has declared a two-day work stoppage on Thursday and Friday to protest the recent dissolution of judicial sector unions by the country’s government, according to a statement obtained Wednesday by AFP.

Justice Minister Alio Daouda defended the move on state television RTN, claiming the unions “do not work towards the proper functioning of public justice services” but instead “promote personal interests that undermine the justice system.”

On Tuesday, the Niger Bar Association condemned the dissolutions and demanded “the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of all judicial sector unions in full possession of their rights.” In a statement, the Bar warned that “by dissolving the unions of the justice sector, the authorities seek to silence those who, through their mission, safeguard the independence of justice.”

As a form of protest, Nigerien lawyers will halt work on August 14 and 15. Meanwhile, the influential Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Niger (SAMAN), one of the dissolved unions, announced that it has “already initiated legal challenges against the minister’s unlawful decree,” insisting that “justice must never be held hostage by any authority.”