Those named above are among some 90 people of Tuareg origin arrested in Niger between 27 and 31 August 1992. On 26 August a police inspector was apparently shot dead by a group of armed men whom the authorities claim were Tuareg rebels. The arrests were carried out by members of the army, without the authority of any judicial body. One of those arrested, Mohamed Moussa, is a prominent Tuareg and Minister for Transport, Trade and Tourism. The army are apparently demanding the release of some 30 hostages held by the FLAA, a Tuareg rebel group and for the dismissal of some government officials. However, those arrested appear to have no links with the FLAA; AI fears that they may have been detained for ethnic reasons or because of their affiliations with the UDPS opposition party.
