Content deleted Content added
Jolielover (talk | contribs) →Education: updated literacy rate; removed unsourced claim "lowest in the world" |
|||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Landlocked country in West Africa}}
{{About|the country|the adjacent country|Nigeria|the state in Nigeria|Niger State|other uses|}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of the Niger
| native_name = {{native name|ha|Jamhuriyar Nijar}}
| common_name = Niger
| image_flag = Flag of Niger.svg
| flag_size = 100
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Niger.svg
| coa_size = 110
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File: Niger (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Niger AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}}
| map_caption =
| image_map2 =
| national_motto = {{unbulleted list |{{native phrase|fr|"Fraternité, Travail, Progrès"|italics=off}} |"Fraternity, Work, Progress"}}
| national_anthem = {{native phrase|fr|[[L'Honneur de la Patrie]]|nolink=yes}}<br/>"The Honour of the Fatherland"<br/><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">{{center|[[File:THE HONOR OF THE FATHERLAND.ogg|Niger National Anthem The Honor of the Fatherland midi]]}}</div><hr/>
| official_languages = [[Hausa language|Hausa]]<ref name=hausal/>
| languages_type = [[National language]]s<ref name="axl.cefan.ulaval.ca">[http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/afrique/niger-loi-2001-037-LNG.htm République du Niger, "Loi n° 2001-037 du 31 décembre 2001 fixant les modalités de promotion et de développement des langues nationales." L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019123028/http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/afrique/niger-loi-2001-037-LNG.htm |date=19 October 2018 }} (accessed 21 September 2016)</ref>
| languages = {{flatlist|
*[[Arabic language|Arabic]]
*[[Buduma language|Buduma]]
*[[Fula language|Fulfulde]]
*[[Gurma language|Gourmanchéma]]
*[[Kanuri language|Kanuri]]
*[[Songhoyboro Ciine|Songhai]]
*[[Tuareg languages|Tamasheq]]
*[[Tasawaq language|Tassawaq]]
*[[Tebu languages|Tebu]]
*[[Zarma language|Zarma]]
}}
| religion_ref = <ref name="census"/>
| religion_year = 2012
| religion = {{plainlist|
* 99.3% [[Islam in Niger|Islam]]
* 0.3% [[Christianity in Niger|Christianity]]
* 0.2% [[Animism]]
* 0.1% [[irreligion]]
}}
| demonym = Nigerien<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nigerien|title=Nigerien – definition of Nigerien in English from the Oxford Dictionaries|access-date=1 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301230120/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nigerien|archive-date=1 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| capital = [[Niamey]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|13|30|49|N|2|06|32|E|type:city_region:NE}}
| largest_city = Niamey
| government_type = Unitary [[republic]] under a [[military junta]]
| leader_title1 = [[President of Niger|President]]
| leader_name1 = [[Abdourahamane Tchiani]]
| leader_title2 = [[Vice President of Niger|Vice President]]
| leader_name2 = [[Salifou Modi]]
| leader_title3 = [[Prime Minister of Niger|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name3 = [[Ali Lamine Zeine]]
| leader_title4 = President of the [[State Court of Niger|State Court]]
| leader_name4 = [[Abdou Dan Galadima]]
| legislature = [[National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland]]
| area_rank = 21st
| area_km2 = 1,267,000
| area_sq_mi = 489,678
| percent_water = 0.02
| population_estimate = {{Increase}} 26,342,784<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Niger|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2023}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2024
| population_estimate_rank = 56th
| population_density_km2 = 12.1
| population_density_sq_mi = 31.2
| population_density_rank =
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $42.739 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.NE">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=692,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Niger) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=17 October 2023 |archive-date=19 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019123330/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=692,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year = 2023
| GDP_PPP_rank = 144th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $1,579<ref name="IMFWEO.NE"/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 188th
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $17.073 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.NE"/>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2023
| GDP_nominal_rank = 145th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $630<ref name="IMFWEO.NE"/>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 185th
| sovereignty_type = [[History of Niger|Independence]]
| sovereignty_note = from [[France]]
| established_event1 = Republic proclaimed
| established_date1 = 18 December 1958
| established_event2 = Declared
| established_date2 = 3 August 1960
| established_event3 = [[2023 Nigerien coup d'état|2023 coup d'état]]
| established_date3 = 26 July 2023
| established_event4 = 2025 transitional charter
| established_date4 = 26 March 2025<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mamane |first1=Dalatou |title=Niger's junta leader cements his grip on power as he is sworn in as president |url=https://apnews.com/article/niger-president-e7763dca5a85e790eeaca43f39237c04 |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=26 March 2025}}</ref>
| Gini_year = 2021
| Gini_change = decrease<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini = 32.9<!--number only-->
| Gini_ref = <ref>[http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI/ World Bank GINI index] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209003326/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI |date=9 February 2015 }}, accessed on 21 January 2016.</ref>
| HDI_year = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI = 0.419 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gini-index-coefficient-distribution-of-family-income/country-comparison/ |title=Gini Index coefficient|publisher=[[The World Factbook]]|access-date=25 March 2024}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 188th
| currency = [[West African CFA franc]]
| currency_code = XOF
| time_zone = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
| utc_offset = +1
| time_zone_DST =
| utc_offset_DST =
| drives_on = right<ref>[http://www.brianlucas.ca/roadside/ Which side of the road do they drive on?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414073422/http://brianlucas.ca/roadside/ |date=14 April 2012 }} Brian Lucas. August 2005. Retrieved 28 January 2009.</ref>
| calling_code = [[+227]]
| cctld = [[.ne]]
| footnote_a =
| ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="CIA-2021-Niger">{{cite web|title=Africa: Niger – The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/#people-and-society|website=cia.gov|access-date=1 May 2021|date=27 April 2021|archive-date=30 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/#people-and-society|url-status=live}}</ref>
| ethnic_groups_year = 2006
| ethnic_groups = {{plainlist|
* 53.1% [[Hausa people|Hausa]]
* 21.2% [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Songhaiborai|Songhay]]
* 11.0% [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]]
* 6.5% [[Fula people|Fulani]]
* 5.9% [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]]
* 0.8% [[Gurma people|Gurma]]
* 0.4% [[Toubou people|Toubou]]
* 0.4% [[Diffa Arabs|Arab]]
* 0.9% [[Demographics of Niger#Ethnic groups|others]]
}}
}}
'''Niger''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|n|iː|ˈ|ʒ|ɛər|,_|ˈ|n|aɪ|dʒ|ər}} {{respell|nee|ZHAIR|,_|NY|jər}},<ref>[http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/07/how_do_you_pronounce_niger.html How Do You Pronounce "Niger"?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314184006/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/07/how_do_you_pronounce_niger.html|date=14 March 2012}} from [[Slate.com]], retrieved 4 March 2012</ref><ref>"Niger." ''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed.'' 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company 22 February 2013 [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Niger thefreedictionary.com/Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512034128/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Niger |date=12 May 2013 }}</ref> {{IPA|fr|niʒɛʁ|lang}}; {{langx|ha|Nijar}}; {{langx|ar|النيجر}}; {{langx|ff|Niiser}}}} officially the '''Republic of the Niger''',{{efn|{{langx|ha|Jamhuriyar Nijar}}; {{langx|fr|République du Niger}}}} is a [[landlocked country]] in [[West Africa]]. It is a [[unitary state]] bordered by [[Libya]] to the [[Libya–Niger border|northeast]], [[Chad]] to the [[Chad–Niger border|east]], [[Nigeria]] to the [[Niger–Nigeria border|south]], [[Benin]] and [[Burkina Faso]] to the [[Benin-Niger border|southwest]], [[Mali]] to the [[Mali–Niger border|west]], and [[Algeria]] to the [[Algeria–Niger border|northwest]]. It covers a land area of almost {{convert|1.27|e6km2|mi2|abbr=unit}}, making it the largest landlocked country in West Africa and the second-largest landlocked nation in Africa behind Chad. Over 80% of its land area lies in the [[Sahara]]. Its [[Islam in Niger|predominantly Muslim population]] of about {{#expr:{{replace|{{UN_Population|Niger}}|,||}}/1e6 round 0}} million{{UN_Population|ref}} lives mostly in clusters in the south and west of the country. The capital [[Niamey]] is located in Niger's southwest corner along the namesake [[Niger River]].
Following the spread of Islam to the region, Niger was on the fringes of some states, including the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire]] and the [[Mali Empire]] before more significant parts of its territory became included in states such as the [[Sultanate of Agadez]] and the [[Songhai Empire]]. It was colonized by France during the [[Scramble for Africa]] as part of [[French West Africa]], becoming a [[Colony of Niger|distinct colony]] in 1922. Since obtaining independence in 1960, Niger has experienced five coups d'état and four periods of [[military dictatorship|military rule]]. Niger's seventh and most recent constitution was enacted in 2010, establishing a multiparty, unitary semi-presidential system. Following the most recent [[2023 Nigerien coup d'état|coup in 2023]], the country is ruled by [[National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland]], a military junta<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herrberg |first=Antje |title=Niger’s National Dialogue: A genuine path to democratic transition or just political theatre? |url=https://berghof-foundation.org/news/nigers-national-dialogue-a-genuine-path-to-democratic-transition-or-just-political-theatre |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Berghof Foundation |language=en-DE}}</ref> which has been credited with "reigniting the spirit of sovereignty and Pan-African resistance across the continent."<ref>"Two years on: Niger’s revolutionary anniversary marks continued defiance for sovereignty" https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/01/two-years-on-nigers-revolutionary-anniversary-marks-continued-defiance-for-sovereignty/</ref>
The [[Hausa people|Hausa]] are the country's largest ethnic group, making up more than half the population. [[Hausa language|Hausa]] is the country's official and the most spoken language; ten indigenous languages have the status of [[national language]]. According to the UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report of 2023, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world.<ref>{{Cite report|last=Nations|first=United|date=2023-07-11|title=2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)|url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/2023-global-multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi|language=en|access-date=13 July 2023|archive-date=13 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713210119/https://hdr.undp.org/content/2023-global-multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi|url-status=live}}</ref> Some non-desert portions of the country undergo periodic drought and [[desertification]]. The [[economy of Niger|economy]] is concentrated around [[subsistence agriculture]], with some export agriculture in the less arid south, and the export of [[raw material]]s, including [[uranium ore]]. It faces challenges to development due to its landlocked position, desert terrain, low [[literacy rate]], [[jihadist insurgency in Niger|jihadist insurgencies]], and the world's highest [[fertility rate]]s due to [[birth control]] not being used and the resulting rapid [[population growth]].<ref name=EconPop>{{cite news|title=Population Explosion|url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21612239-runaway-birth-rates-are-disaster-population-explosion|access-date=3 August 2015|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=16 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729151128/http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21612239-runaway-birth-rates-are-disaster-population-explosion|archive-date=29 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
The name comes from the [[Niger River]] which flows through the west of the country. The origin of the river's name is uncertain. Alexandrian geographer [[Ptolemy]] wrote descriptions of the [[wadi]] ''{{Lang|grc|Gir}}'' (in neighbouring modern [[Algeria]]) and the {{Lang|grc|Ni-Gir}} {{Gloss|Lower Gir}} to the south, possibly referring to the Niger River.<ref name="jeffreys"/> The modern spelling ''Niger'' was first recorded by [[Berber people|Berber]] scholar [[Leo Africanus]] in 1550,<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Niger|volume=19|page=676|first=Frank Richardson|last=Cana}}</ref> possibly derived from the [[Tuareg language|Tuareg]] phrase the {{Lang|tmh|(e)gărăw-n-gărăwăn}} meaning {{Gloss|river of rivers}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hunwick |first=John O. |author-link=John Hunwick |title=Timbuktu and the Songhay Empire: Al-Sadi's Tarikh al-Sudan down to 1613 and other contemporary documents |publisher=Brill |place=Leiden |orig-year=1999 |year=2003 |isbn=978-90-04-11207-0 |page=275 Fn 22}}</ref> There is broad consensus among linguists that it does not derive from the Latin {{Lang|la|niger}} {{Gloss|black}} as was first erroneously believed.<ref name="jeffreys">{{cite journal|last1=Jeffreys|first1=Mervyn David Waldegrave|title=Niger : Origins of the Word|journal=Cahiers d'Études africaines|date=1964|volume=4|issue=15|pages=443–451|doi=10.3406/cea.1964.3019|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/cea_0008-0055_1964_num_4_15_3019|access-date=11 August 2023|archive-date=11 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811194204/https://www.persee.fr/doc/cea_0008-0055_1964_num_4_15_3019|url-status=live|issn = 0008-0055}}</ref> The standard pronunciation in English is {{IPAc-en|n|iː|ˈ|ʒ|ɛər}}, while in some Anglophone media {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|aɪ|dʒ|ər}} is also used.
== History ==
{{Main|History of Niger}}
=== Prehistory ===
[[File:1997 278-10 Sahara glyph.jpg|thumb|Rock engraving showing herds of giraffe, [[ibex]], and other animals in the southern Sahara near [[Tiguidit]], Niger]]
Stone tools, some dating as far back as 280,000 BC, have been found in [[Adrar Bous]], [[Bilma]] and [[Djado]] in the northern [[Agadez Region]].<ref name="Bradt">Geels, Jolijn, (2006) ''Bradt Travel Guide – Niger'', pgs. 15–22</ref> Some of these finds have been linked with the [[Aterian]] and [[Mousterian]] tool cultures of the [[Middle Paleolithic]] period, which flourished in northern Africa circa 90,000 BC–20,000 BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = On the industrial attributions of the Aterian and Mousterian of the Maghreb|journal = Journal of Human Evolution|date = 1 March 2013|pages = 194–210|volume = 64|issue = 3|doi = 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.10.010|first1 = Harold L.|last1 = Dibble|first2 = Vera|last2 = Aldeias|first3 = Zenobia|last3 = Jacobs|first4 = Deborah I.|last4 = Olszewski|first5 = Zeljko|last5 = Rezek|first6 = Sam C.|last6 = Lin|first7 = Esteban|last7 = Alvarez-Fernández|first8 = Carolyn C.|last8 = Barshay-Szmidt|first9 = Emily|last9 = Hallett-Desguez|pmid=23399349| bibcode=2013JHumE..64..194D }}</ref><ref name="Bradt"/> It is thought that these humans lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.<ref name="Bradt"/> During the prehistoric [[African humid period]], the climate of the [[Sahara]] was wetter and more fertile, a phenomenon archaeologists refer to as the "Green Sahara", which provided "favourable" conditions for hunting and later agriculture and livestock herding.<ref>Gwin, Peter. [http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/green-sahara/gwin-text/1 "Lost Tribes of the Green Sahara"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903071614/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/green-sahara/gwin-text/1 |date=3 September 2010 }}, ''National Geographic'', September 2008.</ref><ref>[[Roland Oliver|Oliver, Roland]] (1999), ''The African Experience: From Olduvai Gorge to the 21st Century'' (Series: History of Civilization), London: [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson|Phoenix Press]], revised edition, pg 39.</ref>
The [[Neolithic]] era, beginning circa 10,000 BC, saw a number of changes such as the introduction of [[pottery]] (as evidenced at Tagalagal, Temet and Tin Ouffadene), the spread of cattle husbandry, and the burying of the dead in stone [[tumuli]].<ref name="Bradt"/> As the climate changed in the period 4000–2800 BC the Sahara gradually began [[desertification|drying out]], forcing a change in settlement patterns to the south and east.<ref name="larousse-history">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/pays/Niger/135284 Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702234937/http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/pays/Niger/135284 |date=2 July 2014 }}. ''Encyclopédie Larousse''</ref> Agriculture spread, including the planting of [[millet]] and [[sorghum]], and pottery production.<ref name="Bradt"/> Iron and copper items appear in this era, with finds including those at [[Azawagh]], [[Takedda]], [[Marendet]] and the [[Termit Massif]].<ref>Duncan E. Miller and N.J. Van Der Merwe, 'Early Metal Working in Sub Saharan Africa' Journal of African History 35 (1994) 1–36; Minze Stuiver and N.J. Van Der Merwe, 'Radiocarbon Chronology of the Iron Age in Sub-Saharan Africa' Current Anthropology 1968.</ref><ref>{{citation | last=Grébénart | first=Danilo | year=1993 | url=http://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!752653!0#focus | title=Azelik Takedda et le cuivre médiéval dans la région d'Agadez | journal=Le Saharien (Paris) | volume=125 | issue=2 | pages=28–33 | access-date=12 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724093526/https://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!752653!0#focus | archive-date=24 July 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3432&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Iron in Africa: Revisiting the History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025192915/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D3432%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |date=25 October 2008 }} – Unesco (2002)</ref> The [[Kiffian culture|Kiffian]] (circa 8000–6000 BC) and later [[Tenerian culture|Tenerian]] (circa 5000–2500 BC) cultures, centred on [[Adrar Bous]] and [[Gobero]] where skeletons have been uncovered, flourished during this period.<ref name="auto">[https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5593387 Ancient cemetery found in 'green' Sahara Desert] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811115708/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5593387 |date=11 August 2014 }}. By Randolph E. Schmid. Associated Press /ABC News.</ref><ref name="Clark & DGG">{{cite book|last1=Clark|first1=J. Desmond|last2=Gifford-Gonzalez|first2=Diane|title=Adrar Bous: archaeology of a central Saharan granitic ring complex in Niger|date=2008|publisher=Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren}}</ref><ref name="scidaily">{{cite web|url = https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815101317.htm|title = Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara'|publisher = Science Daily|date = 15 August 2008|access-date = 15 August 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080816060031/http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815101317.htm|archive-date = 16 August 2008|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/science/15sahara.html|title = Graves Found From Sahara's Green Period|first = John Noble|last = Wilford |work = [[The New York Times]]|date = 14 August 2008|access-date = 15 August 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120123154828/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/science/15sahara.html|archive-date = 23 January 2012|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Sereno PC, ((Garcea EAA)), Jousse H, Stojanowski CM, ((Saliège J-F)), Maga A|title=Lakeside Cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 Years of Holocene Population and Environmental Change|journal=PLOS ONE|date=2008|volume=3|issue=8|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002995|display-authors=etal|pmid=18701936|pmc=2515196|pages=e2995|bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.2995S|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Societies continued to grow with regional differentiation in agricultural and funerary practices. A culture of this period is the [[Bura culture]] (circa 200–1300 AD) named for the [[Bura archaeological site]] where a burial replete with iron and ceramic statuettes were discovered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5045/|title=Site archéologique de Bura|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210180203/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5045/|archive-date=10 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Neolithic era saw the flourishing of Saharan rock art, including in the [[Aïr Mountains]], Termit Massif, Djado Plateau, Iwelene, Arakao, Tamakon, Tzerzait, [[Iferouane]], Mammanet and [[Dabous Giraffes|Dabous]]; the art spans the period from 10,000 BC to 100 AD and depicts a range of subjects, from the varied fauna of the landscape to depictions of spear-carrying figures dubbed 'Libyan warriors'.<ref>{{citation|url=https://africanrockart.britishmuseum.org/country/niger/|publisher=British Museum|title=African Rock Art – Niger|access-date=11 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702080140/https://africanrockart.britishmuseum.org/country/niger/|archive-date=2 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.icomos.org/studies/rockart-sahara-northafrica/07sous-zone3.pdf|publisher=ICOMOS|author=Caulson, David|title=Sub-Zone 3: Niger|access-date=11 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212111121/https://www.icomos.org/studies/rockart-sahara-northafrica/07sous-zone3.pdf|archive-date=12 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Shillington">Shillington, Kevin (1989, 1995). ''History of Africa, Second Edition''. St. Martin's Press, New York. Page 32.</ref>
=== Empires and kingdoms in pre-colonial Niger ===
By at least the 5th century BC the territory of what is now Niger had become an area of trans-Saharan trade. Led by [[Tuareg]] tribes from the north, camels were used as a means of transportation through what is later a desert.<ref>Lewicki, T. (1994). "The Role of the Sahara and Saharians in Relationships between North and South". In ''UNESCO General History of Africa: Volume 3.'' University of California Press, {{ISBN|92-3-601709-6}}.</ref><ref name=Masonen>
Masonen, P: "[http://www.hf-fak.uib.no/institutter/smi/paj/Masonen.html Trans-Saharan Trade and the West African Discovery of the Mediterranean World.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008085939/http://www.hf-fak.uib.no/institutter/smi/paj/Masonen.html |date=8 October 2006 }}"
</ref> This mobility which would continue in waves for centuries was accompanied with further migration to the south and intermixing between sub-Saharan African and North African populations, and the spread of [[Islam]].<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> It was aided by the [[Muslim conquest of the Maghreb]] in the 7th century, the result of three Arab invasions, which resulted in population movements to the south.<ref name="larousse-history"/> Empires and kingdoms existed in the Sahel during this era.
==== Mali Empire (1200s–1400s) ====
{{Main|Mali Empire}}
The Mali Empire was a [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] empire founded by [[Sundiata Keita]] (r. 1230–1255) in {{circa|1230}} and existed until the 1600s. As detailed in the ''[[Epic of Sundiata]]'', Mali emerged as a breakaway region of the [[Sosso Empire]] which itself had split from the earlier [[Ghana Empire]]. Thereafter Mali defeated the Sosso at the [[Battle of Kirina]] in 1235 and then Ghana in 1240.<ref name="oxfordre1">{{cite book|url = https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-266|author = Sirio Canós-Donnay|title = Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History|chapter = The Empire of Mali| publisher = Oxford Research Encyclopedias|date = February 2019|doi = 10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.266|isbn = 978-0-19-027773-4|access-date = 13 November 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190730024800/https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-266| archive-date = 30 July 2019| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.worldhistory.org/Mali_Empire/|title = Mali Empire|publisher = Ancient Origins|date = 1 March 2019|access-date = 13 November 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190729130448/https://www.worldhistory.org/Mali_Empire/|archive-date = 29 July 2019|url-status = live}}</ref> From its heartland around the later Guinea-Mali border region, the empire expanded under successive kings and came to dominate the Trans-Saharan trade routes, reaching its greatest extent during the rule of [[Mansa Musa]] (r. 1312–1337).{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} At this point parts of what are now Niger's [[Tillabéri Region]] fell under Malian rule.<ref name="oxfordre1"/> A Muslim, Mansa Musa performed the ''[[hajj]]'' in 1324–25 and encouraged the spread of [[Islam]] in the empire, and it "appears that most ordinary citizens continued to maintain their traditional animist beliefs instead of or alongside the new religion".<ref name="oxfordre1"/><ref name="ancient1">{{cite web|url = https://www.worldhistory.org/Mali_Empire/|title = Mali Empire|publisher = World History Encyclopedia|access-date = 13 November 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190729130448/https://www.worldhistory.org/Mali_Empire/|archive-date = 29 July 2019|url-status = live}}</ref> The empire began "declining" in the 15th century due to a combination of internecine strife over the royal succession, weak kings, the shift of European trade routes to the coast, and rebellions in the empire's periphery by [[Mossi people|Mossi]], [[Wolof people|Wolof]], [[Tuareg]] and [[Songhai people|Songhai]] peoples.<ref name="ancient1"/> A rump Mali kingdom continued to exist until the 1600s.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
==== Songhai Empire (1000s–1591) ====
[[File:SONGHAI empire map.PNG|thumb|left|Map of the Songhai Empire, overlaid over modern boundaries]]
{{Main|Songhai Empire}}
The [[Songhai Empire]] was named for its main ethnic group, the [[Songhai people|Songhai or Sonrai]], and was centred on the bend of the [[Niger River]] in [[Mali]]. Songhai began settling this region from the 7th to 9th centuries;{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} by the 11th century [[Gao]] (capital of the former [[Kingdom of Gao]]) had become the empire's capital.<ref name="boubou-hama">Boubou Hama and M Guilhem, "L’histoire du Niger, de l’Afrique et du Monde"; Edicef, ''Les royaumes Haoussa'', pp. 104–112</ref><ref name=countrystudy>{{cite book|editor1-last=Metz|editor1-first=Helen Chapin|editor1-link=Helen Chapin Metz |title=Nigeria: A Country Study|date=1991|publisher=GPO for the Library of Congress|___location=Washington, DC|url=http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/9.htm|access-date=14 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103012936/http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/9.htm|archive-date=3 November 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1000 to 1325, the Songhai Empire managed to maintain peace with the Mali Empire, its neighbour to the west. In 1325 Songhai was conquered by Mali until regaining its independence in 1375.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} Under king [[Sonni Ali]] (r. 1464–1492) Songhai adopted an expansionist policy which reached its apogee during the reign of [[Askia Mohammad I]] (r. 1493–1528); at this point the empire had expanded from its Niger-bend heartland, including to the east where most of later western Niger fell under its rule, including [[Agadez]] which was conquered in 1496.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.worldhistory.org/Songhai_Empire/|title = Songhai Empire|publisher = World History Encyclopedia|access-date = 13 November 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190729123752/https://www.worldhistory.org/Songhai_Empire/|archive-date = 29 July 2019|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.africankingdoms.com African Kingdoms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519102901/http://www.africankingdoms.com/|date=19 May 2019}} African kingdoms – The Songhai Empire</ref> The empire was unable to withstand repeated attacks from the [[Saadi dynasty]] of [[Morocco]] and was decisively defeated at the [[Battle of Tondibi]] in 1591; it then collapsed into a number of smaller kingdoms.<ref name=countrystudy/>
==== Sultanate of Aïr (1400s–1906) ====
[[File:1997 277-9A Agadez mosque cropped.jpg|thumb|right|[[Agadez Mosque|The Grand Mosque of Agadez]]]]
{{Main|Sultanate of Aïr}}
In {{circa|1449}} in the north of what is now Niger, the [[Sultanate of Aïr]] was founded by Sultan Ilisawan, based in [[Agadez]].<ref name="Bradt"/> Formerly a trading post inhabited by a mixture of Hausa and Tuaregs, it grew as a strategic position on the Trans-Saharan trade routes. In 1515, Aïr was conquered by Songhai, remaining a part of that empire until its collapse in 1591.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In the following centuries, it "seems that the sultanate entered a decline" marked by internecine wars and clan conflicts.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> When Europeans began exploring the region in the 19th century, most of Agadez lay in ruins and was taken over by the French.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
==== Kanem–Bornu Empire (700s–1700s) ====
{{Main|Kanem–Bornu Empire|Sultanate of Damagaram}}
To the east, the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire]] dominated the region around [[Lake Chad]] for a period.<ref name=countrystudy/> It was founded by the [[Zaghawa people|Zaghawa]] around the 8th century and based in [[Njimi]], north-east of the lake. The kingdom gradually expanded, including during the rule of the [[Sayfawa dynasty]] which began in {{circa|1075}} under ''Mai'' (king) [[Hummay]].<ref name="ancient2">{{cite web| url = https://www.worldhistory.org/Kingdom_of_Kanem/| title = Kingdom of Kanem| publisher = World History Encyclopedia| author = Cartwright, Mark| date = 23 April 2019| access-date = 13 November 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190508165923/https://www.worldhistory.org/Kingdom_of_Kanem/| archive-date = 8 May 2019| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ryder|first=A.F.C.|title=General History of Africa: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century|year=1981|publisher=UNESCO|___location=Paris|page=239|editor=D.T. Niane}}</ref> The kingdom reached its greatest extent in the 1200s, partly due to the effort of ''Mai'' [[Dunama Dibbalemi]] (r. 1210–1259), and grew "richer" from its control of some Trans-Saharan trade routes; most of eastern and south-eastern Niger, including [[Bilma]] and [[Kaouar]], was under Kanem's control in this period.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryder|first=A.F.C.|title=General History of Africa: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century|year=1981|publisher=UNESCO|___location=Paris|pages=251–52|editor=D.T. Niane}}</ref> Islam had been introduced to the kingdom by Arab traders from the 11th century, gaining more converts over the following centuries.<ref name="ancient2"/> Attacks by the [[Bulala]] people in the 14th century forced Kanem to shift westwards of Lake Chad where it became known as the Bornu Empire ruled from its capital [[Ngazargamu]] on what is later the [[Niger-Nigeria border]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryder|first=A.F.C.|title=General History of Africa: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century|year=1981|publisher=UNESCO|___location=Paris|pages=258–65|editor=D.T. Niane}}</ref><ref name="ancient2"/><ref>{{cite book|title=The History of Islam in Africa|author-link=Nehemia Levtzion|author1=Nehemia Levtzion|author2=Randall Pouwels|publisher=Ohio University Press|page=81}}</ref> Bornu "prospered" during the rule of ''Mai'' [[Idris Alooma]] (r. circa 1575–1610) and re-conquered most of the "traditional lands" of Kanem, hence the designation 'Kanem–Bornu' for the empire. By the 17th century and into the 18th the Bornu kingdom had entered a "period of decline", shrinking back to its Lake Chad heartland.<ref name=countrystudy/><ref name="ancient2"/>
Circa 1730–40 a group of [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]] settlers led by Mallam Yunus left Kanem and founded the [[Sultanate of Damagaram]], centred on the town of [[Zinder]].<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The sultanate remained nominally subject to the [[Borno Empire]] until the reign of Sultan Tanimoune Dan Souleymane in the 19th century, who declared independence and initiated a phase of expansion.<ref name="Bradt"/> The sultanate managed to resist the advance of the Sokoto Caliphate (''see below''), and was later captured by the French in 1899.<ref name="Bradt"/>
==== Hausa states and other smaller kingdoms (1400s–1800s) ====
[[File:Photo1906 Zinder overview.jpg|thumb|Overlooking the town of [[Zinder]] and the Sultan's Palace from the French fort (1906). The arrival of the French spelled an end for precolonial states like the [[Sultanate of Damagaram]] which carried on only as ceremonial "chiefs" appointed by the colonial government.]]
{{Main|Hausa Kingdoms|Dosso Kingdom|Dendi Kingdom}}
Between the Niger River and Lake Chad lay [[Hausa Kingdoms]], encompassing the cultural-linguistic area known as [[Hausaland]] which straddles what later became the [[Niger-Nigeria border]].<ref name="ancient3">{{cite web| url = https://www.worldhistory.org/Hausaland/| title = Hausaland| publisher = World History Encyclopedia| author = Cartwright, Mark| date = 9 May 2019| access-date = 13 November 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191226173321/https://www.worldhistory.org/Hausaland/| archive-date = 26 December 2019| url-status = live}}</ref> The Hausa are thought to be a mixture of autochthonous peoples and migrant peoples from the north and east, emerging as a distinct people sometime in the 900s–1400s when the kingdoms were founded.<ref name="ancient3"/><ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter5.shtml| title = Hausa States| publisher = BBC| access-date = 13 November 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180915100345/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter5.shtml| archive-date = 15 September 2018| url-status = live}}</ref> They gradually adopted Islam from the 14th century, and sometimes this existed alongside other religions, developing into syncretic forms; some Hausa groups such as the Azna resisted Islam altogether (the area of [[Dogondoutchi]] remains an animist stronghold).<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name=countrystudy/> The Hausa kingdoms were not a compact entity but several federations of kingdoms more or less independent of one other. Their organisation was hierarchical and somewhat democratic: the Hausa kings were elected by the notables of the country and could be removed by them.<ref name="boubou-hama"/> The Hausa Kingdoms began as seven states founded, according to the [[Bayajidda]] legend, by the six sons of Bawo.<ref name="ancient3"/><ref name=countrystudy/> Bawo was the only son of the Hausa queen [[Daurama]] and [[Bayajidda]] or ([[Abu Yazid]] according to certain historians) who came from [[Baghdad]]. The seven original Hausa states (also referred to as the 'Hausa bakwai') were: [[Daura Emirate|Daura]] (state of queen [[Daurama]]), [[Sultanate of Kano|Kano]], [[Rano]], [[Kingdom of Zazzau|Zaria]], [[Gobir]], [[Kingdom of Katsina|Katsina]] and [[Hadejia|Biram]].<ref name="boubou-hama"/><ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="autogenerated1"/> An extension of the legend states that Bawo had a further seven sons with a concubine, who went on to found the so-called 'Banza (''illegitimate'') Bakwai': [[Zamfara]], [[Kebbi Emirate|Kebbi]], [[Nupe Kingdom|Nupe]], [[Gwari]], [[Yauri Emirate|Yauri]], [[Ilorin Emirate|Ilorin]] and [[Kwararafa]].<ref name="autogenerated1"/> A smaller state not fitting into this scheme was [[Konni (Hausa state)|Konni]], centred on [[Birni-N'Konni]].<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
[[File:Scramble-for-Africa-1880-1913.png|thumb|Comparison of Africa in the years 1880 and 1913]]
The [[Fulani]], a pastoral people found throughout the Sahel, began migrating to Hausaland during the 1200s–1500s.<ref name=countrystudy/><ref name="ancient3"/> During the later 18th century some Fulani were unhappy with the syncretic form of Islam practised there; exploiting also the populace's disdain with corruption amongst the Hausa elite, the Fulani scholar [[Usman Dan Fodio]] (from Gobir) declared a [[Fulani jihad|jihad]] in 1804.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref name="Bradt"/><ref name=fisher1975>H. J. Fisher. The Sahara and Central Sudan. in The Cambridge History of Africa: From C 1600 to C 179. Richard Gray, J. D. Fage, Roland Anthony Oliver, eds. Cambridge University Press, (1975) {{ISBN|0-521-20413-5}} pp. 134–6</ref> After conquering most of Hausaland (though not the Bornu Kingdom, which remained independent), he proclaimed the [[Sokoto Caliphate]] in 1809.<ref name="ancient3"/> Some of the Hausa states survived by fleeing south, such as the Katsina who moved to [[Maradi, Niger|Maradi]] in the south of what later became Niger.<ref name=countrystudy/> Some of these surviving states harassed the Caliphate and a period of wars and skirmishes commenced, with some states (such as Katsina and Gobir) maintaining independence whereas elsewhere newer ones were formed (such as the [[Sultanate of Tessaoua]]). The Caliphate managed to survive until, "fatally weakened" by the invasions of Chad-based warlord [[Rabih az-Zubayr]], it finally fell to the British in 1903, with its lands later being partitioned between Britain and France.<ref name=Falola-2>{{cite book|last=Falola|first=Toyin|title=Colonialism and Violence in Nigeria|year=2009|publisher=Indiana University Press|___location=Bloomington, IN}}</ref>
Other smaller kingdoms of the period include the [[Dosso Kingdom]], a [[Zarma people|Zarma]] polity founded in 1750, which resisted the rule of Hausa and Sokoto states.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
=== Colonial (1900–1958) ===
[[File:French West Africa - DPLA - 53944da3422ceec80ca02617ad7fb2e0.jpg|thumb|[[French West Africa]] in 1949]]
{{Main|Senegambia and Niger|Upper Senegal and Niger|French West Africa|Colony of Niger}}
In the 19th century, some European explorers travelled in the area that would become known as Niger, such as [[Mungo Park (explorer)|Mungo Park]] (in 1805–1806), the [[Walter Oudney|Oudney]]-[[Dixon Denham|Denham]]-[[Hugh Clapperton|Clapperton]] expedition (1822–25), [[Heinrich Barth]] (1850–55 with [[James Richardson (explorer)|James Richardson]] and [[Adolf Overweg]]), [[Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs]] (1865–1867), [[Gustav Nachtigal]] (1869–1874) and [[Parfait-Louis Monteil]] (1890–1892).<ref name="Bradt"/>
Some European countries already possessed coastal colonies in Africa, and in the latter half of the century they began to turn their eyes towards the interior of the continent. This process, known as the '[[Scramble for Africa]]', culminated in the [[Berlin Conference|1885 Berlin conference]] in which the colonial powers outlined the division of Africa into spheres of influence. As a result of this, [[France]] gained control of the upper valley of the [[Niger River]] (roughly equivalent to the present territory of [[Mali]] and Niger).<ref name="IBS093">{{citation|url=https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS093.pdf|title=International Boundary Study No. 93 – Niger-Nigeria Boundary|date=15 December 1969|access-date=6 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001160001/https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS093.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> France then set about making a reality of their rule on the ground. In 1897, the French officer [[Marius Gabriel Cazemajou]] was sent to Niger. He reached the [[Sultanate of Damagaram]] in 1898, and stayed in [[Zinder]] at the court of Sultan Amadou Kouran Daga. He was later killed, as Daga feared he would ally with the Chad-based warlord Rabih az-Zubayr.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In 1899–1900, France coordinated three expeditions—the [[Émile Gentil|Gentil Mission]] from [[French Congo]], the [[Amédée-François Lamy|Foureau-Lamy Mission]] from [[Algeria]] and the [[Voulet–Chanoine Mission]] from [[Timbuktu]]—with the aim of linking France's African possessions.<ref name="IBS093"/> The three eventually met at [[Kousséri]] (in the far north of [[Cameroon]]) and defeated Rabih az-Zubayr's forces at the [[Battle of Kousséri]]. The Voulet-Chanoine Mission was "marred by atrocities", and "became notorious" for pillaging, looting, raping and killing local civilians on its passage throughout southern Niger.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref name="Bradt"/> On 8 May 1899, in retaliation for the resistance of queen [[Sarraounia]], captain Voulet and his men murdered all the inhabitants of the village of [[Birni-N'Konni]] in what is regarded as "one of the worst massacres in French colonial history".<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The "brutal" methods of Voulet and Chanoine caused a "scandal" and Paris was forced to intervene; when Lieutenant-Colonel [[Jean-François Klobb]] caught up with the mission near [[Tessaoua]] to relieve them of command he was killed. Lt. [[Paul Joalland]], Klobb's former officer, and Lt. [[Octave Meynier]] eventually took over the mission following a mutiny in which Voulet and Chanoine were killed.<ref name="Bradt"/>
The Military Territory of Niger was subsequently created within the [[Upper Senegal and Niger]] colony (later Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) in December 1904 with its capital at [[Niamey]].<ref name="Bradt"/> The [[Niger-Nigeria border|border]] with Britain's colony of Nigeria to the south was finalised in 1910, a rough delimitation having already been agreed by the two powers via treaties during the period 1898–1906.<ref name="IBS093"/> The capital of the territory was moved to Zinder in 1912 when the Niger Military Territory was split off from Upper Senegal and Niger, before being moved back to Niamey in 1922 when Niger became a fully fledged colony within [[French West Africa]].<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The borders of Niger were drawn up in stages and had been fixed at their later position by the 1930s. Territorial adjustments took place in this period: the areas west of the Niger river were [[Burkina Faso–Niger border|attached]] to Niger in 1926–1927, and during the dissolution of Upper Volta (modern Burkina Faso) in 1932–1947 most of the east of that territory was added to Niger;<ref name="IBS146">{{citation|url=https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS146.pdf|title=International Boundary Study No. 146 – Burkina Faso-Niger Boundary|date=18 November 1974|access-date=5 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001160026/https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS146.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="H-Dictionary"/> and in the east the [[Tibesti Mountains]] were [[Chad-Niger border|transferred]] to Chad in 1931.<ref name="IBS73">{{citation|url=https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS073.pdf|title=International Boundary Study No. 73 – Chad-Niger Boundary|date=1 August 1966|access-date=5 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001160014/https://fall.fsulawrc.com/collection/LimitsinSeas/IBS073.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
The French generally adopted a form of indirect rule, allowing existing native structures to continue to exist within the colonial framework of governance providing that they acknowledged French supremacy.<ref name="Bradt"/> The Zarma of the Dosso Kingdom in particular proved amenable to French rule, using them as allies against the encroachments of Hausa and other nearby states; over time the Zarma thus became one of the "more educated and westernised" groups in Niger.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Perceived threats to French rule, such as the Kobkitanda rebellion in [[Dosso Region]] (1905–1906), led by the blind cleric Alfa Saibou, and the Karma revolt in the Niger valley (December 1905 – March 1906) led by Oumarou Karma were suppressed with force, as were the latter [[Hamallayya]] and [[Hauka]] religious movements.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="H-Dictionary">{{cite book |author1=Decalo, Samuel |author2=Idrissa, Abdourahmane |title=Historical Dictionary of Niger |date=1 June 2012 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810870901 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GFFjEMjKrWkC&pg=PA286 |access-date=25 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725153320/https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=GFFjEMjKrWkC&pg=PA286&lpg=PA286 |archive-date=25 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>''UNESCO General History of Africa'', Vol. VIII: Africa Since 1935. Ali A. Mazrui, Christophe Wondji, Unesco International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of Africa, eds. University of California Press, (1999) {{ISBN|0-520-06703-7}} pp. 70–3</ref> While "largely successful" in subduing the "sedentary" populations of the south, the French faced "considerably more difficulty" with the Tuareg in the north (centered on the Sultanate of Aïr in Agadez), and France was unable to occupy Agadez until 1906.<ref name="Bradt"/> Tuareg resistance continued, culminating in the [[Kaocen revolt]] of 1916–1917, led by [[Ag Mohammed Wau Teguidda Kaocen]], with backing from the [[Senussi]] in [[Fezzan]]; the revolt was violently suppressed and Kaocen fled to Fezzan where he was later killed.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> A puppet sultan was set up by the French and the "decline and marginalisation" of the north of the colony continued, exacerbated by a series of droughts.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> While it remained "something of a backwater", some limited economic development took place in Niger during the colonial years, such as the introduction of [[Hausa groundnut|groundnut]] cultivation.<ref name="Bradt"/> Measures to improve food security following a series of devastating famines in 1913, 1920, and 1931 were introduced.<ref name="Bradt"/><ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
During the [[Second World War]], during which time mainland France was occupied by [[Nazi Germany]], [[Charles de Gaulle]] issued the Brazzaville Declaration, declaring that the French colonial empire would be replaced post-war with a less centralised [[French Union]].<ref>Joseph R. De Benoist, "The Brazzaville Conference, or Involuntary Decolonization." ''Africana Journal'' 15 (1990) pp: 39–58.</ref> The French Union, which lasted from 1946 to 1958, conferred a limited form of French citizenship on the inhabitants of the colonies, with some decentralisation of power and limited participation in political life for local advisory assemblies. It was during this period that the [[Nigerien Progressive Party – African Democratic Rally|Nigerien Progressive Party]] (''Parti Progressiste Nigérien'', or PPN, originally a branch of the African Democratic Rally, or ''[[Rassemblement Démocratique Africain]]'' – RDA) was formed under the leadership of former teacher [[Hamani Diori]], as was the left-wing [[Mouvement Socialiste Africain-Sawaba]] (MSA), led by [[Djibo Bakary]]. Following the Overseas Reform Act (''Loi Cadre'') of 23 July 1956 and the establishment of the [[Fifth French Republic]] on 4 December 1958, Niger became an autonomous state within the [[French Community]]. On 18 December 1958, an autonomous Republic of Niger was officially created under the leadership of Hamani Diori. MSA was banned in 1959 for its perceived excessive anti-French stance.<ref name=djibo03>Mamoudou Djibo. Les enjeux politiques dans la colonie du Niger (1944–1960). Autrepart no 27 (2003), pp. 41–60.</ref> On 11 July 1960, Niger decided to leave the French Community and acquired full independence at midnight, local time, on 3 August 1960;<ref>Keesing's Contemporary Archives, page 17569.</ref> Diori thus became the first [[List of Presidents of Niger|president]] of the country.
=== Post-colonial (1960–) ===
==== Diori years (1960–1974) ====
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F028554-0009, Niger, Staatsbesuch Bundespräsident Lübke.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|right|President [[Hamani Diori]] and visiting [[German President]] [[Heinrich Lübke]] greet crowds on a state visit to Niamey, 1969. Diori's single party rule was characterised by "good" relations with the West and a preoccupation with foreign affairs.]]
For its first 14 years as an independent state, Niger was run by a single-party civilian regime under the presidency of Hamani Diori.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hamani-Diori|title=Encyclopedia Britannica – Hamni Diori|access-date=19 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903003241/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hamani-Diori|archive-date=3 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The 1960s saw an expansion of the education system and some limited economic development and industrialisation.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Links with France remained, with Diori allowing the development of French-led [[uranium]] mining in [[Arlit]] and supporting France in the [[Algerian War]].<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Relations with other African states were mostly "positive", with the exception of [[Dahomey]] (Benin), owing to a [[Benin-Niger border|border]] dispute. Niger remained a one-party state throughout this period, with Diori surviving a planned coup in 1963 and an assassination attempt in 1965; most of this activity was masterminded by Djibo Bakary's MSA-Sawaba group which had launched an abortive rebellion in 1964.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Jon Abbink |author2=Mirjam de Bruijn, Klaas van Walraven |title=Rethinking Resistance: revolt and violence in African history |year=2003 |url=https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/9606/ASC_1267345_058.pdf?sequence=1 |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |isbn=90-04-12624-4 |chapter=''Sawaba's Rebellion in Niger (1964-64)'' |access-date=21 November 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805010044/https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/9606/ASC_1267345_058.pdf?sequence=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1970s, a combination of economic difficulties, [[drought]]s and accusations of rampant corruption and mismanagement of food supplies resulted in a [[1974 Nigerien coup d'état|coup d'état]] that overthrew the Diori regime.
==== First military regime (1974–1991) ====
The coup had been masterminded by Col. [[Seyni Kountché]] and a military group under the name of the ''Conseil Militaire Supreme'', with Kountché going on to rule the country until his death in 1987.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The first action of the military government was to address the food crisis.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://perspective.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/servlet/BMEve?codeEve=574 Renversement du président Hamani Diori au Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022153822/http://perspective.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/servlet/BMEve?codeEve=574 |date=22 October 2014 }}. ''Perspective monde'', 15 avril 1974</ref> Whilst political prisoners of the Diori regime were released after the coup, political and individual freedoms in general deteriorated during this period. There were attempted coups (in 1975, 1976 and 1984) which were thwarted, their instigators being punished.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
[[File:Seyni Kountche 1983.jpg|thumb|President [[Seyni Kountché]] during the state visit of West German President [[Karl Carstens]] to Niger in 1983]]
Kountché sought to create a 'development society', funded mostly by the uranium mines in [[Agadez Region]].<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> [[Parastatal]] companies were created, infrastructure (building and new roads, schools, health centres) constructed, and there was corruption in government agencies, which Kountché did not hesitate to punish.<ref>[https://nigerdiaspora.net/index.php/societe/2547-niamey-une-forte-tendance-a-la-depravation-des-moeurs Kountché: 30 ans après son coup d'état] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727084909/https://nigerdiaspora.net/index.php/societe/2547-niamey-une-forte-tendance-a-la-depravation-des-moeurs |date=27 July 2018 }}. ''Nigerdiaspora'', 10 novembre 2007 (republished on 6 November 2017).</ref> In the 1980s, Kountché began cautiously loosening the grip of the military, with some relaxation of state censorship and attempts made to 'civilianise' the regime.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The economic boom ended following the collapse in uranium prices, and [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]]-led austerity and privatisation measures provoked opposition by some Nigeriens.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In 1985, a Tuareg revolt in [[Tchintabaraden]] was suppressed.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Kountché died in November 1987 from a brain tumour, and was succeeded by his chief of staff, Col. [[Ali Saibou]] who was confirmed as Chief of the Supreme Military Council four days later.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
Saibou curtailed the most repressive aspects of the Kountché era (such as the secret police and media censorship), and set about introducing a process of political reform under the overall direction of a single party (the ''Mouvement National pour la Société du Développement'', or MNSD).<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> A Second Republic was declared and a new constitution was drawn up, which was adopted following a [[1989 Nigerien constitutional referendum|referendum]] in 1989.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> General Saibou became the first president of the Second Republic after winning the [[1989 Nigerien general election|presidential election]] on 10 December 1989.<ref name="auto1">Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) ''Elections in Africa: A data handbook'', p685 {{ISBN|0-19-829645-2}}</ref>
President Saibou's efforts to control political reforms failed in the face of trade union and student demands to institute a [[multi-party democracy|multi-party democratic system]]. On 9 February 1990, a violently repressed student march in Niamey led to the death of three students, which led to increased national and international pressure for further democratic reform.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The Saibou regime acquiesced to these demands by the end of 1990.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Meanwhile, trouble re-emerged in Agadez Region when a group of armed Tuaregs attacked the town of Tchintabaraden (seen by some as the start of the first [[Tuareg rebellion (1990–1995)|Tuareg Rebellion]]), prompting a military crackdown which led to deaths (the precise numbers are disputed, with estimates ranging from 70 to up to 1,000).<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
[[File:Ali Saibou cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Ali Saibou]], President 1987–93, helped oversee the transition from military to civilian rule.]]
==== National Conference and Third Republic (1991–1996) ====
The National Sovereign Conference of 1991 brought about multi-party democracy. From 29 July to 3 November, a national conference gathered together all elements of society to make recommendations for the future direction of the country. The conference was presided over by Prof. [[André Salifou]] and developed a plan for a [[transitional government]]; this was then installed in November 1991 to manage the affairs of state until the institutions of the Third Republic were put into place in April 1993. After the National Sovereign Conference, the transitional government drafted a constitution that eliminated the previous single-party system of the 1989 Constitution and guaranteed more freedoms. The new constitution was adopted by a [[1992 Nigerien constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 26 December 1992.<ref>Walter S. Clarke, "The National Conference Phenomenon and the Management of Political Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa," in ''Ethnic Conflict and Democratization in Africa'', ed. Harvey Glickman. Atlanta: African Studies Assoc. Press, (1995) {{ISBN|0-918456-74-6}}</ref> Following this, presidential [[1993 Nigerien parliamentary election|elections]] were held and [[Mahamane Ousmane]] became the first president of the Third Republic on 27 March 1993.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref name="auto1"/> Ousmane's presidency saw four government changes and legislative [[1995 Nigerien parliamentary election|elections]] in 1995, and an economic slump.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
The violence in Agadez Region continued during this period, prompting the Nigerien government to sign a truce with Tuareg rebels in 1992 which was ineffective owing to internal dissension within the Tuareg ranks.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Another rebellion, led by dissatisfied [[Toubou]] peoples claiming that, like the Tuareg, the Nigerien government had neglected their region, broke out in the east of the country.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In April 1995 a peace deal with a Tuareg rebel group was signed, with the government agreeing to absorb some former rebels into the military and, with French assistance, help others return to a productive civilian life.<ref>{{cite book|title=Niger Foreign Policy and Government Guide |date=2007 |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |isbn=9781433036873 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwInUH18i8wC&q=The+niger+agreed+to+absorb+some+of+the+former+rebels+into+the+military+and%2C+with+French+assistance%2C+to+help+others+return+to+a+productive+civilian+life.&pg=PA28 |language=en}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==== Second and third military regimes (1996–1999) ====
The governmental paralysis prompted the military to intervene; on 27 January 1996, Col. [[Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara]] led a [[1996 Nigerien coup d'état|coup]] that deposed President Ousmane and ended the Third Republic.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/28/world/world-news-briefs-niger-s-elected-president-ousted-in-military-coup.html?pagewanted=1 Niger's Elected President Ousted in Military Coup] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803195752/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/28/world/world-news-briefs-niger-s-elected-president-ousted-in-military-coup.html?pagewanted=1 |date=3 August 2018 }} New York Times, 28 January 1996</ref><ref name=Obit>Kaye Whiteman, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095159/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990412/ai_n14221141 "Obituary: Ibrahim Bare Mainassara"], ''The Independent'' (London), 12 April 1999.</ref> Maïnassara headed a ''Conseil de Salut National'' (National Salvation Council) composed of military officials which carried out a six-month transition period, during which a constitution was drafted and adopted on 12 May 1996.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
Presidential campaigns were organised in the months that followed. Maïnassara entered the campaign as an independent candidate and won the [[1996 Nigerien parliamentary election|election]] on 8 July 1996, the elections were viewed nationally and internationally by some as irregular, as the electoral commission was replaced during the campaign.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Meanwhile, Maïnassara instigated an [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] and [[World Bank]]-approved privatisation programme which enriched some of his supporters and were opposed by the trade unions.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Following fraudulent local elections in 1999 the opposition ceased any cooperation with the Maïnassara regime.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In unknown circumstances (possibly attempting to flee the country), Maïnassara was assassinated at [[Niamey Airport]] on 9 April 1999.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/358644/Ibrahim-Bare-Mainassara|title=Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=9 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330145938/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/358644/Ibrahim-Bare-Mainassara|archive-date=30 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=1999: President of Niger 'killed in ambush'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/9/newsid_2463000/2463927.stm|access-date=9 April 2014|newspaper=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415001633/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/9/newsid_2463000/2463927.stm|archive-date=15 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
Maj. [[Daouda Malam Wanké]] then took over, establishing a transitional National Reconciliation Council to oversee the drafting of a constitution with a French-style [[semi-presidential system]]. This was adopted on 9 August 1999 and was followed by presidential and legislative [[1999 Nigerien general election|elections]] in October and November of the same year.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/315663.stm Niger: A copybook coup d'etat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202132822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/315663.stm |date=2 February 2020 }}, 9 April 1999, BBC. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/316037.stm Military controls Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202133756/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/316037.stm |date=2 February 2020 }}, 10 April 1999, BBC.</ref> The elections were generally found to be free and fair by international observers. Wanké then withdrew from governmental affairs.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
==== Fifth Republic (1999–2009) ====
[[File:Nigerien MNJ fighter technical gun.JPG|thumb|A [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] rebel fighter in northern Niger during the Second Tuareg Rebellion, 2008]]
After winning the election in November 1999, President [[Tandja Mamadou]] was sworn into office on 22 December 1999 as the first president of the Fifth Republic. Mamadou brought about administrative and economic reforms that had been halted due to the military coups since the Third Republic, and helped peacefully resolve a decades-long boundary dispute with Benin.<ref>{{citation|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2005/07/144962-un-world-court-decides-niger-benin-border-dispute|publisher=UN News|title=UN World Court decides Niger, Benin border dispute|date=13 July 2019|access-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108193311/https://news.un.org/en/story/2005/07/144962-un-world-court-decides-niger-benin-border-dispute|archive-date=8 November 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Fabio Spadi (2005) [http://www.ljil.leidenuniv.nl/index.php3?m=5&c=186 The ICJ Judgment in the Benin-Niger Border Dispute: the interplay of titles and 'effectivités' under the uti possidetis juris principle, ''Leiden Journal of International Law''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929032048/http://www.ljil.leidenuniv.nl/index.php3?m=5&c=186 |date=29 September 2006 }} 18: 777–794</ref> In August 2002, unrest within military camps occurred in [[Niamey]], [[Diffa]], and [[Nguigmi]], and the government was able to restore order within days. On 24 July 2004, municipal elections were held to elect local representatives, previously appointed by the government. These elections were followed by presidential elections, in which Mamadou was re-elected for a second term, thus becoming the first president of the republic to win consecutive elections without being deposed by military coups.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref>[http://democratie.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/NIGER_RMO1611_04122004.pdf "RAPPORT DE LA MISSION D’OBSERVATION DES ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES ET LEGISLATIVES DES 16 NOVEMBRE ET 4 DECEMBRE 2004"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622081649/http://democratie.francophonie.org/IMG/pdf/NIGER_RMO1611_04122004.pdf |date=22 June 2007 }}, democratie.francophonie.org {{in lang|fr}}.</ref> The legislative and executive configuration remained somewhat similar to that of the first term of the president: [[Hama Amadou]] was reappointed as prime minister and [[Mahamane Ousmane]], the head of the CDS party, was re-elected as the president of the National Assembly (parliament) by his peers.
By 2007, the relationship between President Tandja Mamadou and his prime minister had "deteriorated", leading to the replacement of the latter in June 2007 by [[Seyni Oumarou]] following a successful vote of no confidence at the Assembly.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> President Tandja Mamadou sought to extend his presidency by modifying the constitution which limited presidential terms. Proponents of the extended presidency, who rallied behind the 'Tazartche' (Hausa for 'overstay') movement, were countered by opponents ('anti-Tazartche') composed of opposition party militants and civil society activists.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
The north saw the outbreak of a [[Second Tuareg Rebellion]] in 2007 led by the ''[[Niger Movement for Justice|Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice]]'' (MNJ). With a number of kidnappings the rebellion had "largely fizzled out inconclusively" by 2009.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> The "poor" security situation in the region is thought to have allowed elements of [[Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]] (AQIM) to gain a foothold in the country.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
==== Sixth republic and fourth military regime (2009–2010) ====
In 2009, President Tandja Mamadou decided to organize a constitutional referendum seeking to [[2009–2010 Nigerien constitutional crisis|extend his presidency]], which was opposed by other political parties, and went against the decision of the Constitutional Court which had ruled that the referendum would be unconstitutional. Mamadou then modified and adopted a new constitution by referendum, which was declared illegal by the Constitutional Court, prompting Mamadou to dissolve the Court and assume emergency powers.<ref name=Reutersjune26>[https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLQ2439220090626 Niger president rules by decree after court snub] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629050556/http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLQ2439220090626 |date=29 June 2009 }}. Reuters. Fri 26 June 2009</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8121974.stm Emergency powers for Niger leader] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116071655/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8121974.stm |date=16 November 2018 }}. BBC. 26 June 2009.</ref> The opposition boycotted the referendum and the constitution was adopted with 92.5% of voters and a 68% turnout, according to official results. The adoption of the constitution created a Sixth Republic, with a [[presidential system]], the suspension of the 1999 Constitution, and a three-year interim government with Tandja Mamadou as president. The events generated political and social unrest.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>
In a [[2010 Nigerien coup d'état|coup d'état]] in February 2010, a military junta led by [[Salou Djibo]] was established in response to Tandja's attempted extension of his political term.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8523196.stm "Military coup ousts Niger president Mamadou Tandja"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219053310/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8523196.stm |date=19 February 2010 }}, [[British Broadcasting Corporation]], 19 February 2010</ref> The [[Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy]], headed by Djibo, carried out a one-year transition plan, drafted a constitution and held elections in 2011.
==== Seventh Republic (2010–2023) ====
[[File:Niger, Barkiawal Béri (04), vue aérienne avec RN25.jpg|thumb|Semi-arid Niger is threatened by further [[Desertification in Africa|desertification]].]]
Following the adoption of a constitution in 2010 and [[2011 Nigerien general election|presidential elections]] a year later, [[Mahamadou Issoufou]] was elected as the first president of the Seventh Republic; he was then [[2016 Nigerien general election|re-elected]] in 2016.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niger-election-idUSKCN0WO0ZN "Boycott helps Niger President Issoufou win re-election"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304072455/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niger-election-idUSKCN0WO0ZN |date=4 March 2020 }}, Reuters, 22 March 2016.</ref> The constitution restored the semi-presidential system which had been abolished a year earlier. An attempted coup against him in 2011 was thwarted and its ringleaders arrested.<ref name=FITWreport>{{cite web|title=Freedom in the World 2012: Niger|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/niger|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=8 April 2013|year=2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025073132/http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/niger|archive-date=25 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Issoufou's time in office was marked by threats to the country's security, stemming from the fallout from the [[Libyan Civil War]] and [[Northern Mali conflict]], [[jihadist insurgency in Niger|an insurgency in western Niger]] by [[al-Qaeda]] and [[Islamic State]], the spillover of Nigeria's [[Boko Haram insurgency]] into south-eastern Niger, and the use of Niger as a transit country for migrants (often organised by [[people-smuggling]] [[gang]]s).<ref>{{citation|url= https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_unhcr-attacks-nw-nigeria-send-thousands-fleeing-niger/6176607.html|publisher= News 24|title= UNHCR: Attacks in NW Nigeria Send Thousands Fleeing to Niger|date= 27 September 2019|access-date= 8 November 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191108190356/https://www.voanews.com/africa/unhcr-attacks-nw-nigeria-send-thousands-fleeing-niger|archive-date= 8 November 2019|url-status= live}}</ref> French and American forces assisted Niger in countering these threats.<ref>{{cite web|title=France ready to strike extremists on Libya border|url=http://asian-defence-news.blogspot.fr/2015/01/france-ready-to-strike-extremists-on.html|website=Asian Defense News|date=6 January 2015|publisher=6 January 2015|access-date=6 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031907/http://asian-defence-news.blogspot.fr/2015/01/france-ready-to-strike-extremists-on.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
On 10 December 2019, a large group of fighters belonging to the [[Islamic State in the Greater Sahara]] (IS-GS) [[Battle of Inates|attacked]] a military post in [[Inates]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Behind the Jihadist Attack in Inates |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/niger/behind-jihadist-attack-inates |work=[[ReliefWeb]] |date=13 December 2019}}</ref> killing over seventy [[Niger Armed Forces|soldiers]] and kidnapping others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20191211-niger-soldiers-killed-attack-sahel-military-camp-issoufou-keita-macron-france-tuareg-islamic-state-al-qaeda-dead|title=At least 70 soldiers killed in attack on Niger military camp|date=2019-12-11|website=France 24|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> The attack was the deadliest single incident Niger's military has ever experienced.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/scores-soldiers-killed-niger-base-attack-191211184533878.html|title=Scores of soldiers killed in Niger base attack|date=11 December 2019|work=Al Jazeera|access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref> On 9 January 2020, a large group of IS-GS militants [[Battle of Chinagodrar|assaulted]] a Nigerien military base at Chinagodrar, in Niger's [[Tillabéri Region]], killing at least 89 Nigerien soldiers.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Aksar |first1=Moussa |last2=Lewis |first2=David |last3=Balima |first3=Boureima |last4=Ross |first4=Aaron |date=2020-01-11 |title=Niger army base attack death toll rises to at least 89: security sources |language=en |work=Reuters |editor-last=Elgood |editor-first=Giles |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niger-security-idUSKBN1ZA0TH |access-date=2023-07-09}}</ref>
On 27 December 2020, Nigeriens [[2020–21 Nigerien general election|went to the polls]] after Issoufou announced he would step down, paving the way to a [[peaceful transition of power]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=AfricaNews|date=2021-01-07|title=Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou set to exit power|url=https://www.africanews.com/2021/01/07/nigerien-president-mahamadou-issoufou-set-to-exit-power/|access-date=2021-02-05|website=Africanews|language=en|archive-date=4 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204003650/https://www.africanews.com/2021/01/07/nigerien-president-mahamadou-issoufou-set-to-exit-power//|url-status=live}}</ref> No candidate won an absolute majority in the vote: [[Mohamed Bazoum]] came closest with 39.33%. Per the constitution, a run-off election was held on 20 February 2021, with Bazoum taking 55.75% of the vote and opposition candidate (and former president) [[Mahamane Ousmane]] taking 44.25%, according to the electoral commission.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-23|title=Niger election: Mohamed Bazoum wins landmark vote amid protests|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56175439|access-date=2021-02-23|archive-date=23 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223191809/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56175439|url-status=live}}</ref>
At the start of 2021 with the [[Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres]], IS-GS began killing civilians en masse.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-25 |title=Massacres au Niger: peut-on éviter une guerre sans fin? |url=https://www.lavie.fr/actualite/massacres-au-niger-peut-on-eviter-une-guerre-sans-fin-72347.php |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=La Vie.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref> On 21 March 2021, the IS-GS militants [[Tillia massacres|attacked]] several villages around [[Tillia]], killing 141 people, mostly civilians.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Macé |first=Célian |title=Au Niger, l'escalade macabre de l'Etat islamique |url=https://www.liberation.fr/international/afrique/au-niger-les-tueries-a-repetition-de-letat-islamique-20210322_3YXC74YX6NHWPELFD5OH6MR3VQ/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Libération |language=fr}}</ref>
On 31 March 2021, Niger's security forces thwarted an [[2021 Nigerien coup d'état attempt|attempted coup]] by a military unit in the capital, [[Niamey]]. Gunfire was heard in the presidential palace. The attack took place two days before newly elected president [[Mohamed Bazoum]] was due to be sworn into office. The Presidential Guard arrested some people during the incident.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Niger: Attack on presidential palace an 'attempted coup'|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/31/heavy-gunfire-heard-near-nigers-presidency|access-date=2021-03-31|website=aljazeera.com|language=en|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331175659/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/31/heavy-gunfire-heard-near-nigers-presidency|url-status=live}}</ref> On 2 April 2021, Bazoum was sworn in as the [[President of Niger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/2/niger-president-to-be-sworn-in-after-attempted-coup |title=Mohamed Bazoum sworn in as Niger's president amid tensions |work=Aljazeera |first=Giacomo |last=Zandonini |date=2 April 2021 |access-date=26 August 2021 |archive-date=11 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811072217/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/2/niger-president-to-be-sworn-in-after-attempted-coup |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Fifth military regime (2023–present) ====
{{clear}}
[[File:Alliance of Sahel States.svg|thumb|upright|The [[Alliance of Sahel States]]]]
Late on 26 July 2023, a [[2023 Nigerien coup d'état|coup by the military]] overthrew Bazoum, putting an end to the Seventh Republic and the [[Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou's government|government]] of Prime Minister [[Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 July 2023 |title=Niger soldiers announce coup on national TV |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66320895 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727000929/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66320895 |archive-date=27 July 2023 |access-date=27 July 2023 |work=BBC.com}}</ref> On 28 July, General [[Abdourahamane Tchiani]] was proclaimed as the ''de facto'' head of state of the country.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 July 2023 |title=Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/28/niger-general-tchiani-named-head-of-transitional-government-after-coup |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728112129/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/28/niger-general-tchiani-named-head-of-transitional-government-after-coup |archive-date=28 July 2023 |access-date=28 July 2023 |publisher=Aljazeera}}</ref> Former finance minister [[Ali Lamine Zeine]] was declared the new [[Prime Minister of Niger]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 August 2023 |title=Officiel : voici la liste des membres du gouvernement de Transition |url=https://www.actuniger.com/politique/19415-officiel-voici-la-liste-des-membres-du-gouvernement-de-transition.html |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=actuniger.com |language=French |archive-date=7 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907183917/https://actuniger.com/politique/19415-officiel-voici-la-liste-des-membres-du-gouvernement-de-transition.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The coup was condemned by ECOWAS, which in the [[2023 Nigerien crisis]] threatened to use military intervention to reinstate the government of Bazoum if the coup leaders did not by 6 August.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawal |first=Shola |title=Niger coup: Divisions as ECOWAS military threat fails to play out |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/6/niger-coup-divisions-as-ecowas-military-threat-fails-to-play-out |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=7 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230807213944/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/6/niger-coup-divisions-as-ecowas-military-threat-fails-to-play-out |url-status=live }}</ref> The deadline passed without military intervention, though ECOWAS imposed sanctions, including cuts of Nigerian energy exports to Niger which had previously provided 70–90% of Niger's power.<ref name="apnews.com">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-24 |title=West Africa bloc lifts coup sanctions on Niger in a new push for dialogue to resolve tensions |url=https://apnews.com/article/west-africa-ecowas-niger-mali-burkina-faso-abuja-ae53abf8464dce5487cd7a3d73e0a9c0 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312031034/https://apnews.com/article/west-africa-ecowas-niger-mali-burkina-faso-abuja-ae53abf8464dce5487cd7a3d73e0a9c0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-21 |title=Power cuts in Niger threaten to spoil millions of vaccines as sanctions take their toll, UN says |url=https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-unicef-vaccines-5e7d6610635b0aa2ffe6570cc417930e |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405213918/https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-unicef-vaccines-5e7d6610635b0aa2ffe6570cc417930e |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2023 the coup-led governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed the [[Alliance of Sahel States]] in opposition to potential military intervention.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-24 |title=A newly formed alliance between coup-hit countries in Africa's Sahel is seen as tool for legitimacy |url=https://apnews.com/article/sahel-coups-niger-tchiani-mali-burkina-faso-insecurity-e96627c700aa4fcf8d060dd9d2d16667 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308183048/https://apnews.com/article/sahel-coups-niger-tchiani-mali-burkina-faso-insecurity-e96627c700aa4fcf8d060dd9d2d16667 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 24 February 2024 several ECOWAS sanctions against Niger were dropped, reportedly for humanitarian and diplomatic reasons,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-02-25 |title=Nigeria restores electricity supply to Niger as ECOWAS lifts sanctions – Daily Trust |url=https://dailytrust.com/nigeria-restores-electricity-supply-to-niger-as-ecowas-lifts-sanctions/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=dailytrust.com/ |language=en-US |archive-date=5 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405213918/https://dailytrust.com/nigeria-restores-electricity-supply-to-niger-as-ecowas-lifts-sanctions/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Nigeria agreed to resume electricity exports to Niger.<ref name=":3"/><ref name="apnews.com"/>
In the buildup to the August ECOWAS deadline, the junta requested help from the Russian [[Wagner Group]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-05 |title=Niger's junta asks for help from Russian group Wagner as it faces military intervention threat |url=https://apnews.com/article/wagner-russia-coup-niger-military-force-e0e1108b58a9e955af465a3efe6605c0 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011083602/https://apnews.com/article/wagner-russia-coup-niger-military-force-e0e1108b58a9e955af465a3efe6605c0 |url-status=live }}</ref> though Wagner mercenaries were not known to have entered the country as a result.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} In October the junta expelled French troops from the country, presenting the move as a step towards sovereignty from the former colonial power,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=French troops are starting to withdraw from Niger and junta leaders give UN head 72 hours to leave |url=https://apnews.com/article/france-niger-coup-military-withdrawal-bfa3afe3fdfa034dabe3dce265540411 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=12 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512023400/https://apnews.com/article/france-niger-coup-military-withdrawal-bfa3afe3fdfa034dabe3dce265540411 |url-status=live }}</ref> and in December it suspended cooperation with the [[Francophonie]] alleging its promotion of French interests.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Niger suspends cooperation with international Francophone body |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/25/niger-suspends-cooperation-with-international-francophone-body |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421154427/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/25/niger-suspends-cooperation-with-international-francophone-body |url-status=live }}</ref> UN resident coordinator [[Louise Aubin]] was also expelled in October after the junta alleged "underhanded maneuvers" by UN secretary-general António Guterres to prevent the country's participation in the UN General Assembly.<ref name=":4"/> In October the U.S. officially designated the takeover as a coup, suspending most Niger–U.S. military cooperation as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign assistance programs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-10 |title=The US declares the ousting of Niger's president a coup and suspends military aid and training |url=https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-united-states-designation-2ab984947c69e99e83ce417696a758c7 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421154427/https://apnews.com/article/niger-coup-united-states-designation-2ab984947c69e99e83ce417696a758c7 |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2024, Russian military trainers and equipment began to arrive in Niger under a new military agreement,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-04-12 |title=Russian troops arrive in Niger as military agreement begins |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68796359 |access-date=2024-04-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and the U.S. agreed to withdraw troops from Niger<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-04-20 |title=US agrees to pull troops out of Niger |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68860092 |access-date=2024-04-21 |language=en-GB |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421084251/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68860092 |url-status=live }}</ref> following the termination of a Niger–U.S. agreement that had allowed US personnel to be stationed in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-17 |title=Niger's junta revokes military agreement with US |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68590531 |access-date=2024-04-23 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
{{clear}}
== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Niger}}
[[File:Ng-map.png|thumb|upright=1.15|A map of Niger]]
{{MapLibrary|Niger sat.png|Niger}}
Niger is a [[landlocked]] nation in West Africa located along the border between the [[Sahara]] and [[Sub-Saharan Africa|Sub-Saharan]] regions. It borders [[Nigeria]] and [[Benin]] to the south, [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Mali]] to the west, [[Algeria]] and [[Libya]] to the north and [[Chad]] to the east.
Niger lies between latitudes [[11th parallel north|11°]] and [[24th parallel north|24°N]], and longitudes [[prime meridian|0°]] and [[16th meridian east|16°E]]. Its area is {{convert|1.267|e6km2|mi2|abbr=unit|0}} of which {{convert|300|km2|0}} is water. This makes it less than twice the size of [[France]], and the world's 21st-largest country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Africa :: Niger — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |website=cia.gov |access-date=1 September 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Niger borders seven countries and has a total perimeter of {{convert|5697|km|0}}. The longest border is with [[Nigeria]] to the south ({{cvt|1497|km|0|disp=or}}). This is followed by [[Chad]] to the east, at {{cvt|1175|km|0}}, [[Algeria]] to the north-north-west ({{cvt|956|km|0|disp=or}}), and [[Mali]] at {{cvt|821|km|0}}. Niger has borders in its further south-west with [[Burkina Faso]] at {{convert|628|km|0}} and [[Benin]] at {{cvt|266|km|0}} and to the north-north-east [[Libya]] at {{cvt|354|km|0}}.
The lowest point in Niger is the [[Niger River]], with an elevation of {{convert|200|m|0}}. The highest point is [[Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès]] in the [[Aïr Mountains]] at {{cvt|2022|m|0}}.
Niger's terrain is predominantly desert plains and [[sand dune]]s, with flat to rolling savanna in the south and hills in the north.
=== Climate ===
{{Further|Sahel drought}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map NER present.svg|thumb|Map of Köppen climate classification]]
The hotter and drier climate within [[desert]] areas causes more frequent fires in some regions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ramo|first1=Ruben|last2=Roteta|first2=Ekhi|last3=Bistinas|first3=Ioannis|last4=Wees|first4=Dave van|last5=Bastarrika|first5=Aitor|last6=Chuvieco|first6=Emilio|last7=Werf|first7=Guido R. van der|date=2021-03-02|title=African burned area and fire carbon emissions are strongly impacted by small fires undetected by coarse resolution satellite data|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=118|issue=9|doi=10.1073/pnas.2011160118|pmc=7936338|issn=0027-8424|pmid=33619088|bibcode=2021PNAS..11811160R |hdl=10810/50523 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In the south, there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin.
=== Biodiversity ===
{{Further|Wildlife of Niger}}
[[File:Elephant dust bath park w niger.jpg|thumb|An elephant in the [[W National Park]] ]]
The territory of Niger contains five terrestrial ecoregions: [[Sahelian Acacia savanna]], [[West Sudanian savanna]], [[Lake Chad flooded savanna]], [[South Saharan steppe and woodlands]], and [[West Saharan montane xeric woodlands]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>
The north is covered by deserts and semi-deserts. The typical mammal fauna consists of [[addax]] antelopes, [[scimitar-horned oryx]], gazelles, and in the mountains, Barbary sheep. The [[Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve]] was founded in the northern parts to protect these species.
The southern parts are naturally dominated savannahs. The [[W National Park]], situated in the bordering area to Burkina Faso and [[Benin]], belongs to "one of the most important areas" for wildlife in Western Africa, which is called the WAP (W–[[Arli National Park|Arli]]–[[Pendjari National Park|Pendjari]]) Complex. It has a population of the [[West African lion]] and one of the last populations of the [[Northwest African cheetah]].
Other wildlife includes elephants, buffaloes, [[roan antelopes]], [[Kob|kob antelopes]] and warthogs. The [[West African giraffe]] is found in the further north where it has its last relict population.
Environmental issues include destructive farming practices as a result of population pressure, illegal hunting, bush fires in some areas and human encroachment upon the flood plains of the Niger River for paddy cultivation. Dams constructed on the Niger River in the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea and within Niger are cited as a reason for a reduction of water flow in the Niger River—which has a direct effect upon the environment. A "lack of adequate staff" to guard wildlife in the parks and reserves is another factor cited for loss of wildlife.<ref name="Geels2006"/>
[[Farmer-managed natural regeneration]] is practiced since 1983 to increase food and timber production, and [[Resilience (ecology)|resilience]] to [[Extremes on Earth|climate extremes]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|date=2009-11-19|title=Regreening Africa|language=en-US|journal=The Nation|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/regreening-africa/|access-date=2021-11-26|issn=0027-8378|archive-date=26 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126115102/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/regreening-africa/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Governance and politics ==
{{llm|section=yes|date=August 2025}}
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
{{Main|Politics of Niger|Government of Niger}}
[[File:Shinzo Abe and Mahamadou Issoufou at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg|thumb|President [[Mahamadou Issoufou]] and Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzo Abe]] in October 2019]]
Niger's new constitution was approved on 31 October 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/ner128397.pdf |title=Niger's Constitution of 2010 |website=faolex.fo.org |date=26 September 2013 |access-date=1 May 2025}}</ref> It restored the semi-presidential system of government of the 1999 constitution (Fifth Republic) in which the president of the republic, elected by [[universal suffrage]] for a five-year term, and a prime minister named by the president share [[executive power]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/ner128397.pdf |title=Niger 2010 Constitution |author=William S. Hein |website=faolex.fo.org |date=2012 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/annualreport/usdos/2010/en/72356?utm_source=chatgpt.com |title=2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Niger |author=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |website=refworld.org |date=11 March 2010 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wipolex-res.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/ne/ne005en.html |title=Constitution of Niger |date=2 December 2013 |access-date=10 May 2025 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Since the July [[2023 Nigerien coup d'état]], the government has been led by [[Abdourahamane Tchiani]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9855/CBP-9855.pdf |author=Sebastian Elischer |title=July 2023 coup in Niger |date=25 September 2023 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref>
=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Niger}}
Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly relations with the West and the Islamic world as well as non-aligned countries. It belongs to the UN and its main specialized agencies and in 1980–81 served on the [[UN Security Council]]. Niger maintains a special relationship with former colonial power France and has close relations with its West African neighbors.
Niger is a charter member of the [[African Union]] and the [[West African Monetary Union]] and also belongs to the [[Niger Basin Authority]] and [[Lake Chad Basin Commission]], the [[Economic Community of West African States]], the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] and the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] ([[OHADA]]). The westernmost regions of Niger are joined with contiguous regions of Mali and Burkina Faso under the [[Liptako–Gourma Authority]].
The border dispute with Benin, inherited from colonial times and concerning inter alia [[Lété Island]] in the [[Niger River]], was solved by the [[International Court of Justice]] in 2005 to Niger's advantage.
=== Military ===
{{Further|Niger Armed Forces}}
[[File:Niger Army 322nd Parachute Regiment.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers from the 322nd Parachute Regiment practice field tactics with the U.S. Army, 2007]]
The Niger Armed Forces (Forces armées nigériennes) are the military and paramilitary forces of Niger, under the president as supreme commander. They consist of the Niger Army (Armée de Terre), the Niger Air Force (Armée de l'Air) and the auxiliary paramilitary forces, such as the [[Gendarmerie Nationale (Niger)|National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale)]] and the [[National Guard of Niger|National Guard (Garde nationale)]]. Both paramilitary forces are trained in military fashion and have some military responsibilities in wartime. In peace time their duties are mostly policing duties.
The armed forces are composed of approximately 12,900 personnel, including 3,700 [[Gendarmerie Nationale (Niger)|gendarmes]], 3,200 [[National Guard of Niger|national guards]], 300 air force personnel, and 6,000 army personnel. The armed forces of Niger have been involved in several military coups over the years with the [[2023 Nigerien coup d'état|most recent in 2023]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soldiers announce coup in Niger – DW – 07/28/2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/niger-army-declares-support-for-coup-leaders/video-66361471 |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=dw.com |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Niger's armed forces have a long history of military cooperation with France and the United States. From 2013, Niamey was home to a U.S. drone base. On 16 March 2024, Niger's government announced that it was breaking off "with immediate effect" its military cooperation agreement with the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/niger-revokes-military-accord-with-us-junta-spokesperson-says-2024-03-16/ |title=Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says |last1=Balima |first1=Boureima |last2=Felix |first2=Bate |date=16 March 2024 |work=Reuters |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326095805/https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/niger-revokes-military-accord-with-us-junta-spokesperson-says-2024-03-16/ |archive-date=26 March 2024}}</ref>
=== Judicial system ===
{{Main|Judiciary of Niger}}
The current Judiciary of Niger was established with the creation of the Fourth Republic in 1999. The constitution of December 1992 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and, again, by referendum, revised to the current version on 18 July 1999. It is based on the [[Code Napoleon]] "''[[Inquisitorial system]]''", established in Niger during French colonial rule and the 1960 Constitution of Niger. The Court of Appeals reviews questions of fact and law, while the Supreme Court reviews application of the law and constitutional questions. The High Court of Justice (HCJ) deals with cases involving senior government officials. The justice system also includes civil criminal courts, customary courts, traditional mediation, and a military court.<ref name=Sory>[http://www.etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/institutionnel/niger.html#Syst%E8me%20judiciaire Niger:Système judiciaire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126022100/http://www.etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/institutionnel/niger.html |date=26 November 2008}}. NIGER Situation institutionnelle. Sory Baldé, CEAN, IEP-Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV (2007) Accessed 13 April 2009</ref> The military court provides the same rights as civil criminal courts; however, customary courts do not. The military court cannot try civilians.<ref name=USHRR2008>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090226175359/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119017.htm 2008 Human Rights Report: Niger] in 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. (25 February 2009) As a publication of the United States Federal Government, this report is in the [[Public Domain]]. Portions of it may be used here verbatim.</ref>
=== Law enforcement ===
{{Main|Law enforcement in Niger}}
Law enforcement in Niger is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense through the [[Gendarmerie Nationale (Niger)|National Gendarmerie]] and the Ministry of the Interior through the [[National Police (Niger)|National Police]] and the [[National Guard of Niger|National Guard]]. The [[National Police (Niger)|National Police]] is primarily responsible for law enforcement in urban areas. Outside big cities and in rural areas, this responsibility falls on the [[Gendarmerie Nationale (Niger)|National Gendarmerie]] and the [[National Guard of Niger|National Guard]].
=== Government finance ===
Government finance is derived from revenue exports (mining, oil and agricultural exports) as well as various forms of taxes collected by the government. In the past, foreign aid has contributed to large percentages of the budget. In 2013, Niger's government has adopted a zero-deficit budget of 1.279 trillion CFA francs ($2.53 billion) which is claimed to balance revenues and expenditures by an 11% reduction in the budget from the previous year.<ref>[http://in.reuters.com/article/niger-budget-idINL5E8KM1TI20120922 Niger government adopts $2.53 bln budget for 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028043246/http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/22/niger-budget-idINL5E8KM1TI20120922 |date=28 October 2014}}. [[Reuters]], 22 September 2012.</ref>
The 2014 budget was 1.867 trillion CFA which is distributed as follows according to: public debt (76,703,692,000 CFA), personnel expenditures (210,979,633,960 CFA), operating expenditures (128,988,777,711 CFA); subsidies and transfers (308,379,641,366 CFA) and investment (1,142,513,658,712 CFA).<ref>{{in lang|fr}}[http://nigerexpress.info/2013/11/28/niger-le-budget-2014-porte-a-1-867-milliards/ Niger : le budget 2014 porté à 1.867 milliards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805215851/http://nigerexpress.info/2013/11/28/niger-le-budget-2014-porte-a-1-867-milliards/ |date=5 August 2020}}. ''Niger Express'', 28 November 2013.</ref>
==== Foreign aid ====
The importance of external support for Niger's development is demonstrated by the fact that about 45% of the government's FY 2002 budget, including 80% of its capital budget, derives from donor resources.<ref name=ussd2009>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5474.htm Background Notes for Niger: January 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524232128/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5474.htm |date=24 May 2019}} Bureau of African Affairs, United States State Department. Retrieved 26 February 2009. Portions of the "Economy" section are here used verbatim, as this document is in the public ___domain.</ref> The most important donors in Niger are France, the [[European Union]], the [[World Bank]], the [[International Monetary Fund]], and various [[United Nations]] agencies ([[UNDP]], [[UNICEF]], [[FAO]], [[World Food Program]], and [[United Nations Population Fund]]).
Other principal donors include the United States, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and [[Saudi Arabia]].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} While [[USAID]] does not have an office in Niger, the United States is a major donor, contributing nearly $10 million each year to Niger's development.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The U.S. also is a major partner in policy coordination in such areas as food security and HIV/AIDS.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:Niger administrative divisions.svg|thumb|upright=2.25|Administrative divisions of Niger]]
{{Main|Regions of Niger|Departments of Niger|Communes of Niger}}
Niger is divided into 7 [[Regions of Niger|Regions]] and one capital district. These Regions are subdivided into 36 [[Departments of Niger|departments]]. The 36 Departments are currently broken down into Communes of varying types. {{As of|2006}} there were 265 communes, including communes urbaines (Urban Communes: as subdivisions of major cities), communes rurales (Rural Communes), in sparsely populated areas and postes administratifs (Administrative Posts) for largely uninhabited desert areas or military zones.
Rural communes may contain official villages and settlements, while Urban Communes are divided into quarters. Niger subvisions were renamed in 2002, in the implementation of a decentralisation project, first begun in 1998. Previously, Niger was divided into 7 Departments, 36 Arrondissements, and Communes. These subdivisions were administered by officials appointed by the national government. These offices will be replaced in the future by democratically elected councils at each level.
The ''pre-2002'' departments (renamed as regions) and capital district are:
* [[Agadez Region]]
* [[Diffa Region]]
* [[Dosso Region]]
* [[Maradi Region]]
* [[Tahoua Region]]
* [[Tillabéri Region]]
* [[Zinder Region]]
* [[Niamey]] {{smaller|(capital district)}}
=== Largest cities and towns ===
{{Further|List of cities in Niger}}
{{Largest cities
| country = Niger
| stat_ref = According to the 2012 Census<ref>{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/Niger-Cities.html|title=Niger|access-date=2019-11-06|archive-date=6 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406180216/http://www.citypopulation.de/Niger-Cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name = Region
| div_link =
| city_1 = Niamey
| div_1 = Niamey <!-- Capital District -->
| pop_1 = 978,029
| img_1 = Niamey from the sky.jpg
| city_2 = Maradi, Niger{{!}}Maradi
| div_2 = Maradi Region{{!}}Maradi
| pop_2 = 267,249
| img_2 = Village maradi niger.jpg
| city_3 = Zinder
| div_3 = Zinder Region{{!}}Zinder
| pop_3 = 235,605
| img_3 = Zinder (6328886864).jpg
| city_4 = Tahoua
| div_4 = Tahoua Region{{!}}Tahoua
| pop_4 = 117,826
| img_4 = Femmes rurales et taches ménageres.jpg
| city_5 = Agadez
| div_5 = Agadez Region{{!}}Agadez
| pop_5 = 110,497
| city_6 = Arlit
| div_6 = Agadez Region{{!}}Agadez
| pop_6 = 78,651
| city_7 = Birni-N'Konni
| div_7 = Tahoua Region{{!}}Tahoua
| pop_7 = 63,169
| city_8 = Dosso, Niger{{!}}Dosso
| div_8 = Dosso Region{{!}}Dosso
| pop_8 = 58,671
| city_9 = Gaya, Niger{{!}}Gaya
| div_9 = Dosso Region{{!}}Dosso
| pop_9 = 45,465
| city_10 = Tessaoua
| div_10 = Maradi Region{{!}}Maradi
| pop_10 = 43,409
}}
== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Niger}}
{{See also|Oil and mining industry of Niger}}
The economy of Niger centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest [[uranium]] deposits. In 2021, Niger was the main supplier of uranium to the EU, followed by Kazakhstan and Russia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Niger coup sparks concerns about French, EU uranium dependency |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/niger-coup-spark-concerns-france-uranium-dependency/ |work=Politico |date=31 July 2023 |access-date=2 August 2023 |archive-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802193208/https://www.politico.eu/article/niger-coup-spark-concerns-france-uranium-dependency/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy.
Two trans-African automobile routes pass through Niger:
* the [[Algiers-Lagos Highway]]
* the [[Dakar-Ndjamena Highway]]
Niger shares a common currency, the [[CFA franc]], and a common central bank, the [[Central Bank of West African States]] (BCEAO), with seven other members of the [[West African Monetary Union]]. Niger is also a member of the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] (OHADA).<ref name="ohada.com">{{cite web | title = OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa | url = http://www.ohada.com/index.php | access-date = 22 March 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033744/http://www.ohada.com/index.php | archive-date = 26 March 2009 | url-status = live}}</ref>
In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for [[Heavily Indebted Poor Countries]] (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund for [[Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility]] (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction.
In December 2005, it was announced that Niger had received 100% multilateral [[debt relief]] from the [[IMF]], which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US$86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by the exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have recovered somewhat in the last few years.{{when|date=April 2023}} A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens between March and August 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-07-01 |title=Niger: Drought and Locusts Situation Report #1 (FY 2005) - Niger {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/niger/niger-drought-and-locusts-situation-report-1-fy-2005 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref>
Niger was ranked 137th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |title=Global Innovation Index 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
On June 2025 it was reported thet Niger's military leaders plan to take control of Somaïr, a [[uranium]] company mostly owned by France. They accuse the company of "irresponsible acts." Since taking power in 2023, Niger's leaders have wanted more control over the country’s resources and have distanced themselves from France, moving closer to Russia. Niger is a major uranium producer with high-quality ores.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-20 |title=Niger military leaders to nationalise uranium firm Somaïr |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx5v2x8yejo |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Niger}}
[[File:Niger single age population pyramid 2020.png|thumb|Population age pyramid of Niger in 2020]]
[[File:1997 275-15 young Wodaabe women.jpg|thumb|[[Wodaabe]] women with traditional [[face tattoo|facial tattoos]] ]]
{{As of|{{UN_Population|Year}}}}, the population of Niger was {{UN_Population|Niger}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} Niger's population has rapidly increased from its population of 3.4 million in 1960 and has a current growth rate of 3.3% (7.1 children per mother).<ref name="ins-demographics">{{in lang|fr}} ''Annuaires Statistiques du Niger 2007–2011''. [http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/Annuaires_Statistiques/AS2007-2011STRUCTUREPOPULATION.pdf Structure de la population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726234159/http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/Annuaires_Statistiques/AS2007-2011STRUCTUREPOPULATION.pdf |date=26 July 2014}} (Niger's National Statistics Institute Report)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ |title=Niger Population |publisher=Worldometers |access-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814061458/https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/niger-population/ |archive-date=14 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
This growth rate is one of the highest in the world and is a source of concern for the government and international agencies.<ref name="irin-demographics">[http://www.irinnews.org/report/75801/niger-population-explosion-threatens-development-gains Niger: Population explosion threatens development gains] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725165712/http://www.irinnews.org/report/75801/niger-population-explosion-threatens-development-gains |date=25 July 2014}}. [[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]], 11 December 2007.</ref> The population is predominantly young, with 49.2% under 15 years old and 2.7% over 65 years, and predominantly rural with only 21% living in urban areas.<ref name="ins-demographics"/>
A 2005 study{{which|date=May 2021}} stated that over 800,000 people (nearly 8% of the population) [[Slavery in Niger|in Niger are enslaved]].<ref>"[https://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=813618&page=1 The Shackles of Slavery in Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219150212/https://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=813618&page=1 |date=19 February 2009}}". ABC News. 3 June 2005.</ref><ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4250709.stm Born to be a slave in Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806031036/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4250709.stm |date=6 August 2017}}". BBC News. 11 February 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1357_slavery_today/page3.shtml |title=BBC World Service | Slavery Today |publisher=BBC |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113131049/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1357_slavery_today/page3.shtml |archive-date=13 November 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Urban settlements ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Cities of Niger
! rowspan="2"| Rank !! rowspan="2" | City !! colspan="2" | Population !! rowspan="2" | Region
|-
! 2001 Census<ref name="auto2">{{cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/niger/cities/|title=Niger: Regions, Cities & Urban Centers – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321050141/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/niger/cities/|archive-date=21 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2012 Census<ref name="auto2"/>
|-
|align=right | 1. || [[Niamey]] || align=right | 690,286 || align=right | 978,029 || [[Niamey]]
|-
|align=right | 2. || [[Maradi, Niger|Maradi]] || align=right | 148,017 || align=right | 267,249 || [[Maradi Region]]
|-
|align=right | 3. || [[Zinder]] || align=right | 170,575 || align=right | 235,605 || [[Zinder Region]]
|-
|align=right | 4. || [[Tahoua]] || align=right | 73,002 || align=right | 117,826 || [[Tahoua Region]]
|-
|align=right | 5. || [[Agadez]] || align=right | 77,060 || align=right | 110,497 || [[Agadez Region]]
|-
|align=right | 6. || [[Arlit]] || align=right | 68,835 || align=right | 78,651 || [[Agadez Region]]
|-
|align=right | 7. || [[Birni N'Konni]] || align=right | 44,663 || align=right | 63,169 || [[Tahoua Region]]
|-
|align=right | 8. || [[Dosso, Niger|Dosso]] || align=right | 43,561 || align=right | 58,671 || [[Dosso Region]]
|-
|align=right | 9. || [[Gaya, Niger|Gaya]] || align=right | 28,385 || align=right | 45,465 || [[Dosso Region]]
|-
|align=right | 10. || [[Tessaoua]] || align=right | 31,667 || align=right | 43,409 || [[Maradi Region]]
|}
=== Ethnic groups ===
{{bar box
|title=Ethnic Groups in Niger (2001 Census)<ref name="auto3">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat-niger.org/frame/demographie.htm|title=DEMOGRAPHIE|website=stat-niger.org|access-date=7 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922235514/http://www.stat-niger.org/frame/demographie.htm|archive-date=22 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic Groups
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Hausa|darkgreen|55.4}}
{{bar percent|Zarma & Songhai|purple|21}}
{{bar percent|Tuareg|red|9.3}}
{{bar percent|Fula|black|8.5}}
{{bar percent|Kanuri|orange|4.7}}
{{bar percent|Toubou|green|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Arab|darkblue|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Gurma|white|0.4}}
{{bar percent|Other|darkred|0.1}}
}}
{{Main|Hausa people|Zarma people|Tuareg people|Fula people|Kanuri people|Tubu people|Diffa Arabs|Gurma people}}
As in most West African countries, Niger has a wide variety of ethnic groups. The ethnic makeup of Niger in 2001 was as follows: [[Hausa people|Hausa]] (55.4%), [[Zarma people|Zarma]] & [[Songhay people (subgroup)|Songhay]] (21%), [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] (9.3%), [[Fula people|Fula]] ({{langx|fr|Peuls}}; {{langx|ff|Fulɓe}}) (8.5%), [[Kanuri people|Kanuri Manga]] (4.7%), [[Tubu people|Tubu]] (0.4%), [[Diffa Arabs|Arab]] (0.4%), [[Gurma people|Gourmantche]] (0.4%), other (0.1%).<ref name="ins-demographics"/> The [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Songhay people (subgroup)|Songhay]] dominate the Dosso, Tillabéri, and Niamey regions, the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] dominate the Zinder, Maradi, and Tahoua regions, [[Kanuri people|Kanuri Manga]] dominate the Diffa region, and [[Touaregs|Tuaregs]] dominate the Agadez region in Northern Niger.<ref name="auto3"/>
=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Niger}}
French, inherited from the colonial period, was the [[official language]] until 2025, when [[Hausa language|Hausa]] replaced its status.<ref name=hausal>{{cite web|url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official/xl6ldbr|title=Niger downgrades French as it distances from its colonial past with a new official language|date=8 April 2025|first=Chinedu|last=Okafor|access-date=8 April 2025|work=Business Insider}}</ref> It is taught in school as a second language and serves as the administrative language. Niger joined the [[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie]] in 1970,{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} though it suspended cooperation with the group months after the 2023 coup.<ref name=":5"/>
Niger has ten recognized [[national language]]s, namely [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Buduma language|Buduma]], [[Fula language|Fulfulde]], [[Gurma language|Gourmanchéma]], [[Hausa language|Hausa]], [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]], [[Zarma language|Zarma]] and [[Songhoyboro Ciine|Songhay]], [[Tuareg languages|Tamasheq]], [[Tasawaq language|Tassawaq]] and [[Tebu languages|Tebu]].<ref name="axl.cefan.ulaval.ca"/> Each is spoken as a first language primarily by the ethnic group with which it is associated.<ref>Ethologue. [https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NE/languages Niger languages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727114820/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/NE/languages |date=27 July 2018}}</ref><ref>Présidence de la République du Niger. [https://www.presidence.ne/gographie/ Le Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727090206/https://www.presidence.ne/gographie/ |date=27 July 2018}}</ref> Hausa and Zarma-Songhai, the two most spoken languages, are widely spoken throughout the country as first or second languages.
[[French language|French]] and [[English language|English]] are classified as "working" languages.
==
{{bar box
|title=Religion in Niger (2001 Census)<ref name="census"/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=religion
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Islam|darkgreen|99.3}}
{{bar percent|Christianity|purple|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Animism|blue|0.2}}
{{bar percent|Irreligious|black|0.1}}
}}
Niger is a [[secular country]] and [[separation of state and religion]] is guaranteed by Articles 3 and 175 of the 2010 Constitution, which dictate that future amendments or revisions may not modify the secular nature of the republic of Niger. [[Religious freedom]] is protected by Article 30 of the same constitution. [[Islam]], widespread in the region since the 10th century, has greatly shaped the culture and mores of the people of Niger. Islam is the most dominant religion, practiced by 99.3% of the population according to the 2012 census.<ref name="census">{{cite web | url = http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/RGPH2012/ETAT_STRUCTURE_POPULATION.pdf | title = Recensement général de la population et de l'habitat 2012 | last = Institut national de la statistique | date = November 2015 | access-date = 12 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180713042241/http://www.stat-niger.org/statistique/file/RGPH2012/ETAT_STRUCTURE_POPULATION.pdf | archive-date = 13 July 2018 | url-status = live}}</ref>
The other two main religions of Niger are [[Christianity]], practiced by 0.3% of the population, and Animism ([[African traditional religion|traditional indigenous religious beliefs]]), practiced by 0.2% of the population.<ref name="census"/> Christianity was established earlier in the country by missionaries during the French colonial years. Other urban Christian [[expatriate]] communities from Europe and West Africa are also present. [[Religious persecution]] has flared in recent years in Niger; Christian charity Open Doors now lists Niger as the 37th-most difficult country in which to be a Christian on their [[World Watch List]], 'reflecting how pressure is increasing on Christians in this [...] nation.'<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niger is number 33 on the World Watch List |url=https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/niger/ |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=opendoorsuk.org |language=en |archive-date=6 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606201822/https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Relations between Muslims and Christians have generally been cordial, according to the respective representatives of Christian and Muslim groups in Niger.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=22 June 2022 |title=2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Niger |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/niger/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=21 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921012612/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Niger, Kiota (06), people leaving mosque after prayers.jpg|thumb|Worshipers leaving the grand mosque of [[Kiota]] after [[Friday prayer]]s]]
The numbers of Animist practitioners are a point of contention. As recently as the late 19th century, much of the south center of the nation was unreached by Islam, and the conversion of some rural areas has been only partial. There are still areas where animist based festivals and traditions (such as the [[Bori (religion)|Bori religion]]) are practiced by [[syncretic]] Muslim communities (in some Hausa areas as well as among some [[Toubou]] and [[Wodaabe]] pastoralists), as opposed to several small communities who maintain their pre-Islamic religion. These include the Hausa-speaking [[Maouri people|Maouri]] (or ''Azna'', the Hausa word for "pagan") community in [[Dogondoutci]] in the south-south-west and the [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]]-speaking Manga near [[Zinder]], both of whom practice variations of the pre-Islamic Hausa [[Maguzawa]] religion. There are also some tiny Boudouma and Songhay animist communities in the south-west.<ref name=Decalo79/> Over the past decade, syncretic practices have become less common among Muslim Nigerien communities.<ref name=":2"/>
==== Islam ====
{{Main|Islam in Niger}}
The majority of Muslims in Niger are [[Sunni]], 7% are [[Shi'a]], 5% are [[Ahmadiyya]] and 20% [[non-denominational]].<ref name="pew">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf |title=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity |access-date=2 June 2014 |date=9 August 2012 |publisher=Pew Forum on Religious & Public life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125551/http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf |archive-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=report>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90113.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216213927/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90113.htm |date=16 December 2019 }}. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (14 September 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public ___domain]].''</ref> Islam was spread into what is now Niger beginning in the 15th century, by both the expansion of the [[Songhai Empire]] in the west, and the influence of the [[Trans-Saharan trade]] traveling from the [[Maghreb]] and [[Egypt]]. [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] expansion from the north, culminating in their seizure of the far eastern oases from the [[Bornu Empire|Kanem–Bornu Empire]] in the 17th centuries, spread distinctively [[Berber mythology|Berber]] practices.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
[[File:Niger, Filingué (25), street scene with mosque.jpg|thumb|Small mosque in [[Filingue|Filingué]] ]]
Both [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] areas were greatly influenced by the 18th- and 19th-century [[Fula jihads|Fula-led]] [[Sufi]] brotherhoods, most notably the [[Sokoto Caliphate]] (in today's Nigeria). Modern Muslim practice in Niger is often tied to the [[Tijaniya]] [[Sufism|Sufi]] [[Tariqah|brotherhoods]], although there are small minority groups tied to [[Hammallism]] and [[Nyassist]] Sufi orders in the west, and the [[Sanusiya]] in the far north-east.<ref name=Decalo79>Decalo, James. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger''. Scarecrow Press, Metuchen, New Jersey – London, 1979. {{ISBN|0-8108-1229-0}}. pp. 156–7, 193–4.</ref>
A small center of followers of [[Salafi]] movement within Sunni Islam have appeared in the last thirty years, in the capital and in [[Maradi, Niger|Maradi]].<ref>Decalo (1997) p. 261–2, 158, 230.</ref> These small groups, linked to similar groups in [[Jos]], Nigeria, came to public prominence in the 1990s during a series of religious riots.<ref>Ben Amara, Ramzi. [http://www.sharia-in-africa.net/pages/staff/amara.php "The Development of the Izala Movement in Nigeria: Its Split, Relationship to Sufis and Perception of Sharia Implementation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228012116/http://www.sharia-in-africa.net/pages/staff/amara.php |date=28 December 2016 }}. Research Summary (n.d.)</ref><ref>[http://www.conflict-prevention.net/page.php?id=40&formid=73&action=show&surveyid=1 Summary for Shedrack Best's ''Nigeria, The Islamist Challenge, the Nigerian 'Shiite' Movement'', 1999] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113202500/http://www.conflict-prevention.net/page.php?id=40&formid=73&action=show&surveyid=1 |date=13 January 2009 }}; conflict-prevention.net.</ref>
Despite this, Niger maintains a tradition as a [[secular state]], protected by law.<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5684.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2001: Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804183525/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5684.htm |date=4 August 2020 }}. United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]], 26 October 2001.</ref> Interfaith relations are deemed very good, and the forms of Islam traditionally practiced in most of the country are marked by tolerance of other faiths and lack of restrictions on personal freedom.<ref>t'Sas, Vincent. [http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Islam/islam19.htm "Islam is thriving in impoverished Niger"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228011857/http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Islam/islam19.htm |date=28 December 2016 }}, Reuters, 6 December 1997.</ref> Alcohol, such as the locally produced Bière Niger, is sold openly in most of the country.
=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Niger}}
[[File:Niger primary school MCC3500.jpg|thumb|A primary classroom in Niger]]
The [[literacy rate]] of Niger is estimated to be 35.6% (47.9% male and 25.7% female) according to the [[CIA]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=25 April 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and 38% (46% male and 30% female) according to the [[World Bank]], both as of 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Literacy rate - Niger |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=NE |publisher=World Bank |access-date=25 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825153704/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=NE |archive-date=25 August 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Primary education in Niger is compulsory for six years.<ref name=ilab>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/Niger.htm "Niger"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205044526/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/niger.htm |date=5 December 2008 }}. ''2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public ___domain]].''</ref> The primary school enrollment and attendance rates are low, particularly for girls.<ref name=ilab/> In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 29.3 percent, and in 1996, the net primary enrollment rate was 24.5 percent.<ref name=ilab/>
About 60 percent of children who finish primary schools are boys, as the majority of girls rarely attend school for more than a few years.<ref name=ilab/> Children are often forced to work rather than attend school, particularly during planting or [[harvest]] periods.<ref name=ilab/> [[Nomad]]ic children in the north of the country often do not have access to schools.<ref name=ilab/>
=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Niger}}
The child mortality rate in Niger (deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 4) is high (248 per 1,000) due to generally poor health conditions and inadequate nutrition for most of the country's children. According to the organization [[Save the Children]], Niger has the world's highest [[infant mortality rate]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Jeff |last=Green |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/index.html |title=U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says |publisher=CNN |date=10 May 2006 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209065002/http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/index.html |archive-date=9 February 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:HOPITAL DE REFERENCE DE MARADI.jpg|thumb|Maradi Reference Hospital]]
Niger also has the highest [[fertility rate]] in the world (6.49 births per woman according to 2017 estimates);<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=28 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028133713/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> this has resulted in nearly half (49.7%) of the Nigerien population being under age 15 in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.populationpyramid.net/de/niger/2020/ |title=Niger 2020 |website=populationpyramid.net |access-date=26 August 2021 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019062940/https://www.populationpyramid.net/de/niger/2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Niger has the 11th highest [[maternal mortality]] rate in the world at 820 deaths/100,000 live births.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html?countryName=Niger&countryCode=ng®ionCode=afr&rank=11#ng |title=The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=25 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426214840/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html?countryName=Niger&countryCode=ng®ionCode=afr&rank=11#ng |archive-date=26 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There were 3 physicians and 22 nurses per 100,000 persons in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.angellite.org.uk/where-we-work.html|title=Niger|access-date=20 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123142319/http://www.angellite.org.uk/where-we-work.html|archive-date=23 November 2011}}</ref>
Clean drinking water is scarce by global standards, with significant differences between urban and rural areas. Niger is located at the bottom of the [[Human Development Index|UN Human Development Index]]. Roughly 92% of the population lives in rural areas in the Tillabéri region along the western frontier, and there is a chronic scarcity of clean water, particularly during the hot season, when temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Fresh water in Niger undercuts violence, as well as offering better living conditions|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|access-date=2021-05-26|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=30 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730152058/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Water, Sanitation and Hygiene|url=https://www.unicef.org/niger/water-sanitation-and-hygiene|access-date=2021-05-26|website=unicef.org|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531114940/https://www.unicef.org/niger/water-sanitation-and-hygiene|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Delivering water and sanitation services in Niger: challenges and results|url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/delivering-water-and-sanitation-services-niger-challenges-and-results|access-date=2021-05-26|website=blogs.worldbank.org|date=8 September 2016 |language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120219/https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/delivering-water-and-sanitation-services-niger-challenges-and-results|url-status=live}}</ref>
Just 40% of the 30,000 inhabitants in [[Téra]], a city north-west of the country's capital of Niamey and near to the Burkina Faso border, have access to a working public water infrastructure.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Niger – OECD|url=https://www.oecd.org/countries/niger/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=oecd.org|archive-date=2 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602085158/https://www.oecd.org/countries/niger/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Development Projects : Niger Basin Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystems Management Project – P093806|url=https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P093806|access-date=2021-05-26|website=World Bank|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120255/https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P093806|url-status=live}}</ref> Société de Patrimoine des Eaux du Niger (SPEN), Niger's water authority, opened ten boreholes and built a water treatment plant in 2018 to provide potable water to [[Téra]] and the surrounding areas. The water supply ran out about a year later, and the water treatment facility was forced to close.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Niger: EIB finances drinking water supply project (EUR 21m)|url=https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2018-099-la-bei-finance-un-projet-dalimentation-en-eau-potable-au-niger-21-meur|access-date=2021-05-26|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=31 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531120007/https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2018-099-la-bei-finance-un-projet-dalimentation-en-eau-potable-au-niger-21-meur|url-status=live}}</ref>
With the help of a donation fund from the [[Dutch government]], the [[European Investment Bank]] is collaborating with the Niger water authority to find solutions to Niger's water issues. The [[World Bank]] identified Niger as one of the 18 fragile regions of [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. The EU bank has a history of investing in regions like these.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Fresh water in Niger undercuts violence, as well as offering better living conditions|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|access-date=2021-05-18|website=European Investment Bank|language=en|archive-date=1 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701123551/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/niger-water-development|url-status=live}}</ref>
The European Investment Bank and the Niger Water Authority are looking at two options for dealing with Téra's water shortages. The first choice is to repair the water tank on the outskirts of town. Another choice is to treat and transport water from the Niger River, which is located more than 100 kilometres to the east. Villages between Téra and the [[Niger River]] will also have access to sewage. The European Investment Bank will also look at renewable energy as a way to save costs.<ref name=":0"/>
In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Niger ranks 121st out of 127 countries with sufficient data. Niger's score of 34.1 indicates a serious level of hunger.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank|url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html|access-date=2024-12-27|website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels|language=en}}</ref>
In 2025, according to the [[World Health Organization]], Niger became the first African country and the fifth country worldwide to eradicate [[onchocerciasis]].<ref>{{cite web|author=<!-- not stated -->|date=30 January 2025|title=WHO verifies Niger as the first country in the African Region to eliminate onchocerciasis|url=https://www.who.int/news/item/30-01-2025-who-verifies-niger-as-the-first-country-in-the-african-region-to-eliminate-onchocerciasis|website=[[World Health Organization]]|access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref>
==
{{Main|Culture of Niger}}
[[File:Sultan zinder.jpg|thumb|[[Sultanate of Damagaram|Sultan of Damagaram]] in the [[Hausa people|Hausa]] city of [[Zinder]]. The Sultanate continues to operate in a ceremonial function into the 21st century.]]
[[File:Niger, Toubou people at Koulélé (18).jpg|thumb|right|[[Toubou people|Toubou]] musicians at a formal ceremony]]
Nigerien culture is marked by variation, evidence of the cultural crossroads which [[French colonial empires|French colonialism]] formed into a unified state from the beginning of the 20th century. What is now Niger was created from four distinct cultural areas in the pre-colonial era: the [[Zarma people|Zarma]] and [[Songhay people (subgroup)|Songhai]] dominated the [[Niger River]] valley in the south-west; the northern periphery of [[Hausaland]], made mostly of those states which had resisted the [[Sokoto Caliphate]], and ranged along the long southern border with Nigeria; the [[Chad basin|Lake Chad basin]] and [[Kaouar]] in the far east, populated by [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]] farmers and [[Toubou]] pastoralists who had once been part of the [[Bornu Empire|Kanem–Bornu Empire]]; and the [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] nomads of the [[Aïr Mountains]] and the Sahara in the vast north.
Each of these communities, along with smaller ethnic groups, brought their own cultural traditions to the new state of Niger. While successive post-independence governments have tried to forge a shared national culture, this has been slow forming, in part because the major Nigerien communities have their own cultural histories, and in part because Nigerien ethnic groups such as the [[Hausa people|Hausa]], Tuareg and Kanuri are but part of larger ethnic communities which cross borders introduced under colonialism.{{cn|date=July 2025}}
Until the 1990s, government and politics was inordinately dominated by [[Niamey]] and the [[Zarma people]] of the surrounding region. At the same time the plurality of the population, in the Hausa borderlands between [[Birni-N'Konni]] and [[Maine-Soroa]], have often looked culturally more to Hausaland in Nigeria than Niamey. Between 1996 and 2003, primary school attendance was around 30%,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Niger_statistics.html |title=At a glance: Niger |access-date=22 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130170853/http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Niger_statistics.html |archive-date=30 November 2009 }}</ref> including 36% of males and only 25% of females. Additional education occurs through [[madrasa]]s.
=== Festivals and cultural events ===
==== Guérewol festival ====
{{Main|Guérewol}}
[[File:1997 274-5 Gerewol.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Participants in the [[Guérewol]] perform the ''Guérewol'' dance, 1997.]]
The Guérewol festival is a traditional Wodaabe cultural event that takes place in [[Abalak]] in [[Tahoua Region|Tahoua region]] or [[In-Gall|In'Gall]] in [[Agadez Region]]. It is an annual traditional courtship ritual practiced by the Wodaabe (Fula) people of Niger. During this ceremony, young men dressed in elaborate ornamentation and made up in traditional face painting gather in lines to dance and sing, vying for the attention of marriageable young women. The Guérewol festival is an international attraction and was featured in films and magazines as prominent as the [[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]].
==== Cure Salée festival ====
{{Main|Cure Salee}}
"La Cure salée" (English: Salt Cure) is a yearly festival of Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads in [[In-Gall|In'Gall]] in [[Agadez Region]] traditionally to celebrate the end of the rainy season. For three days, the festival features a parade of [[Tuareg]] camel riders followed with camel and horse races, songs, dances, and storytelling.
=== Media ===
{{Main|Media of Niger}}
Niger began developing diverse media in the late 1990s. Prior to the Third Republic, Nigeriens only had access to tightly controlled state media.<ref name=sainforeport2002fr>[http://africa.ifj.org/pdfs/sainforeport2002fr.pdf SEMINAIRE-ATELIER DE FORMATION ET DE SENSIBILISATION "Mission de service public dans les entreprises de presse d’Etat et privée"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20150702011318/http://www.ifj.org/regions/africa |date=2 July 2015 }}. Historical introduction to Press Laws, in conference proceedings, Organised by FIJ/SAINFO/LO-TCO CCOG. NIAMEY, June 2002.</ref> Now Niamey contains scores of newspapers and magazines; some, like ''Le Sahel'', are government operated, while many are critical of the government.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/ng82.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213180757/http://www.afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/ng82.html|url-status=dead|title=Media in Niger: the African Development Information Database|archivedate=13 December 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.gret.org/parma/uk2/ressource/edm/pdf/niger.pdf Medias Status Report: Niger] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304011302/http://www.gret.org/parma/uk2/ressource/edm/pdf/niger.pdf |date=4 March 2009 }}. Summary document written for the African Media Partners Network. Guy-Michel Boluvi, Les Echos du Sahel Niamey, January 2001.</ref> Radio is the most important medium, as television sets are beyond the buying power of many of the rural poor, and illiteracy prevents print media from becoming a mass medium.<ref name="Geels2006">Geels, Jolijn. ''Niger''. Bradt UK/Globe Pequot Press USA, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-84162-152-4}}</ref>
In addition to the national and regional radio services of the state broadcaster [[Office of Radio and Television of Niger|ORTN]], there are four privately owned radio networks which total more than 100 stations. Three of them—the [[Anfani FM|Anfani Group]], Sarounia and Tenere—are urban-based commercial-format [[FM broadcasting|FM]] networks in the major towns.<ref name=ussd9506>U.S. Department of State. Report on Human Rights Practices – Niger. [http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/hrp_index.html 1993–1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616143410/http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/democracy/hrp_index.html |date=16 June 2009 }} to [https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78750.htm 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421204423/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78750.htm |date=21 April 2020 }}.</ref> There is also a network of over 80 community radio stations spread across all seven regions of the country, governed by the Comité de Pilotage de Radios de Proximité (CPRP), a civil society organisation. The independent-sector radio networks are collectively estimated by CPRP officials to cover some 7.6 million people, or about 73% of the population (2005).
Aside from Nigerien radio stations, the [[BBC]]'s Hausa service is listened to on FM repeaters across wide parts of the country, particularly in the south, close to the border with Nigeria. [[Radio France Internationale]] also rebroadcasts in French through some of the commercial stations, via satellite. Tenere FM also runs a national independent television station of the same name.<ref name="ussd9506"/>
Despite relative freedom at the national level, Nigerien [[Journalism|journalists]] say they are often pressured by local authorities.<ref name="issa04">[http://www.panos-ao.org/ipao/spip.php?article39 Niger : Conseil de presse. Les journalistes refusent la mise sous tutelle] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510075744/http://www.panos-ao.org/ipao/spip.php?article39|date=10 May 2011}}. Ousseini Issa. Médi@ctions n°37, Institut PANOS Afrique de l'Ouest. March 2004.</ref> The state ORTN network depends financially on the government, partly through a surcharge on electricity bills, and partly through direct subsidy. The sector is governed by the [[High Council for Communication (Niger)|Conseil Supérieur de Communications]], established as an independent body in the early 1990s, since 2007 headed by [[Daouda Diallo]]. International human rights groups have criticised the government since at least 1996 as using regulation and police to punish criticism of the state.<ref name=cpj2006>[http://cpj.org/2007/02/attacks-on-the-press-2006-niger.php Attacks on the press: Niger 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920053522/http://www.cpj.org/2007/02/attacks-on-the-press-2006-niger.php |date=20 September 2011 }}. Committee to Protect Journalists (2007). Retrieved 23 February 2009.</ref><ref>[http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR430012007?open&of=ENG-2F5 Niger: Emergency legislation infringes non-derogable human rights] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211134003/http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR430012007?open&of=ENG-2F5 |date=11 February 2009 }}. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement. AI Index: AFR 43/001/2007 (Public Document) Press Service Number: 181/07. 21 September 2007.</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Outline of Niger]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==
{{Notelist}}
==
{{
* Decalo, Samuel. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger'', 3rd ed. (Scarecrow Press, 1997, {{ISBN|0-8108-3136-8}}) – a comprehensive collection of Niger topics
* [[CIA World Factbook]] ([https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ entry on Niger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/ |date=30 March 2021 }})
* [[US State Department]] {{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5474.htm |title=Niger |publisher=State.gov |date=3 February 2010 |access-date=3 May 2010 |archive-date=22 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170122194527/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5474.htm |url-status=live }} ''Note: This article contains material from the State Department website.''
* [http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Niger_statistics.html Unicef Niger statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130170853/http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Niger_statistics.html |date=30 November 2009 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050929053656/http://www.nsu.newschool.edu/internationalaffairs/papers/thiam.pdf Unesco manuscript on child work and schooling in Niger]
{{Refend}}
== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=NE Key Development Forecasts for Niger] from [[International Futures]]
=== Government ===
* [https://www.gouv.ne Government] – Official website of the Government of Niger
* [https://www.presidence.ne Presidency] – official website of the president of Niger
* [http://cnsp.ne National Council for the Safeguard] – official website of the Nigerien National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland
* [https://www.stat-niger.org Statistics] – official website of National Institute of Statistics
=== History ===
* [https://niger.dk/discover-niger/ "History"] – Nigerien History at Embassy of the Republic of Niger in Copenhagen
=== Tourism ===
* [https://visit-niger.com Visit Niger] – Niger's official tourism portal
=== Maps ===
* {{Wikiatlas}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|192786}}
{{
{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Countries of Africa}}
{{Community of Sahel–Saharan States}}
{{Organisation of Islamic Cooperation}}
{{African Union}}
{{La Francophonie}}
}}
{{Subject bar|Africa|Countries|auto=yes|voy=Niger}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|16|N|08|E|type:country_region:NE|display=title}}
[[Category:Niger| ]]
[[Category:Saharan countries]]
[[Category:Countries in West Africa]]
[[Category:Economic Community of West African States]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where French is an official language]]
[[Category:Landlocked countries]]
[[Category:Least developed countries]]
[[Category:Member states of the African Union]]
[[Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]
[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
[[
[[Category:States and territories established in 1960]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in Africa]]
[[Category:1960 disestablishments in France]]
[[Category:Countries in Africa]]
| |||