Souleymane Salou, former Niger chief of staff, soon released after turbulent trial
After several years of detention, General Souleymane Salou, former chief of staff of Niger, should soon regain his freedom. This is what a relative of the officer reports, following the decision rendered on appeal on Tuesday October 24 in Niamey. General Salou was arrested in December 2015, accused of participating in an attempted coup against President Mahamadou Issoufou. In 2018, during his trial, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for plotting against state security.
The government at the time had put forward overwhelming evidence, including SMS exchanges mentioning plans to bomb the presidency and lists of personalities to be eliminated. This attempted coup d’état would have taken place in the heart of the 2016 electoral campaign, two months before the first round of the presidential election in which Mahamadou Issoufou was a candidate for a second term.
Since his conviction, General Salou has been serving his prison sentence in a prison in the country. But with the recent change of government and the installation of a military junta in power, the situation has evolved. According to Seidick Abba, president of the International Center for Study and Reflection on the Sahel, this release marks a change in the functioning of justice since the arrival of the junta: “The context is completely new and the judges were able to look in “All peace of mind. The lawyers of the accused see in today’s context an opportunity to request case-by-case reviews.”
This release could also be seen as a desire by the junta to show that things have changed, that the wrongs committed by the old regime will be repaired. For the junta, it is a way of marking a break with the old power. However, this decision also raises questions about the political stability of the country and the consideration of the accusations against Souleymane Salou.
In all cases, this release highlights the political and military tensions in Niger and questions the true motivations which guided this judicial process. The situation remains to be closely monitored in a country already weakened by a growing terrorist threat and major political issues.