A judge in Niger ordered the conditional release of a reporter for Radio France International (RFI) on Monday, but he stayed in jail because the public prosecutor lodged an appeal, a judicial source and RFI said, according to Reuters.
Moussa Kaka, director of a private radio station and correspondent for French state-owned RFI, will stay in jail until an appeal court rules on his case. Kaka was arrested on September 20 and accused of receiving gifts or direct payment for reports on the Niger Justice Movement (MNJ), a rebel group led by Tuareg nomads which has fought government forces in Niger's desert north since February 2007.
RFI says the only contact Kaka, who is from Niger, had with the rebellion was through his work as a journalist. RFI News Director Genevieve Goetzinger expressed concern over the length of time it may take for a decision. "We have no idea about what will happen now," she told Reuters. "What we are sure about is Moussa Kaka's innocence. Of course, we regret the appeal."
Uranium-rich northern Niger has been off limits for foreign journalists since August as part of efforts to combat the rebels. At least 200 rebels and 70 government troops have been killed in a year of inconclusive on-off fighting between MNJ and the army. MNJ is demanding greater regional autonomy and control over revenues from foreign uranium mining.
