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Ahmed Ekrou alias “Korondi”, a figure of Nigerien civil society, was sentenced on Tuesday to six months in prison, two of which were closed, for having criticized gendarmes engaged in the anti-jihadist struggle.
“This Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the Diffa Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) sentenced the actor of civil society, Ahmed Ekrou dit Korondi, member of the Citizen Watch Committee, to six months in prison, including two closed, and one a fine of 1,000,000 FCFA (1,846 euros) “, Kaka Touda, member of a Nigerien NGO, told AFP.
The activist is accused of “spreading a message undermining public order” and “attacking human dignity” for having criticized gendarmes involved in the fight against jihadists in the Diffa region (south-east) , said Mara Mamadou, another civil society leader.
The Citizen Watch Committee is a grouping of civil society organizations, associations and unions created in 2015. Objective: “To coordinate the fight and the defense of human rights in the Diffa region”, according to Mara Mamadou.
Deadly attacks
Ahmed Ekrou was arrested on June 7 “following the broadcast on Whatsapp of a voice message in which he referred to the attitude of the gendarmerie, which he considered somewhat passive in the fight against Boko Haram” , according to Kaka Touda. His criticisms came after an attack on June 5 against the military position of SONIDEP (Niger Petroleum Company), located east of the town of Diffa.
The Diffa region in Niger has been plagued by deadly attacks since 2015, when it is home to 300,000 Nigerian refugees and internally displaced persons, fleeing jihadist abuses, according to the UN.
Diffa authorities generally attribute the attacks in their region to the jihadists of Boko Haram or its separatist group Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap).
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