Niger: Court Orders The Release of General Salou

A Nigerien court has determined that General Souleymane Salou, formerly the army's Chief of staff, should be freed. This decision comes after he was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to 15 years in jail for his participation in a failed coup in 2015.

Sources reportedly close to the current military junta confirmed that General Salou, currently a 70 years old man, will be released.

 In 2010, General Souleymane Salou, an air force officer, was part of the junta that ousted President Mamadou Tandja. He served as Chief of Staff until the 2011 elections, which were won by Mahamadou Issoufou. 

On December 17, 2015, President Issoufou, who was running for a second term, announced that a failed coup had been prevented, resulting in the arrest of twelve soldiers, including General Salou, as well as three customs officers and approximately ten civilians.

In January 2018, General Salou, along with his son and eight soldiers, received sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years in prison for their participation in the failed coup. General Salou has been serving his 15-year imprisonment in an inland prison. 

The court declared them "guilty of plotting to undermine the State's authority or security" between November and December 2015. When the arrests were made, the opposition had doubts regarding the legitimacy of the coup attempt.

In early September 2023, the prime minister chosen by the current regime in Niger, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, promised that steps would be taken to free individuals who were deemed "political prisoners" during the previous regime.