Niger

Similarly to many African countries, Niger has suffered both from colonization and geographical disadvantages. While Niger is now an independent country, political unrest and drought continue to plague its people.

Niger is a large country situated in West Africa. It should not be confused with its neighbor, Nigeria, as they are two separate countries whose people share the title, Nigerians. It is, at 1,186,500 square kilometers, bigger than France, Spain, and Portugal combined. With mountainous deserts in the north and grassy plains in the south this large African nation has suffered disastrous droughts and even worse political tensions.

The Kanem-Bornu Empire, a powerful force in southeastern Niger, was nearing its end by the mid 1800s (Hunt 1). Additionally, the decline of the Sokoto Caliphate in neighboring Nigeria opened up room for Hausa kingdom to expand. This ethnic group currently makes up half of the population in Niger today. While these two major "tribes" were disintegrating, the nomadic group, the Tuaregs were suffering from a severe drought and were dying out (Hunt 1).

Like most of Africa, Europeans colonized Niger during the 19th century. While the reason is unclear, Niger’s colonial history started somewhat later than many of its fellow African naitons. In the mid 1800s the French began their "de clocher" which means dangerous course and became "the new French name for the scramble" (Pakenham 456). The French noticed the lack of a European presence or united leadership and thus entered West Africa in the late 1800s. By the late 1800s most of Africa had already been colonized, but it wasn't until 1890 that "the southern states of Dosso and Gaya singing treaties with the French" (Hunt 1). Later, the French gained control of the Tuareg land and people in 1906. Niger officially became part of the West African territory in 1922 (World Book 408). In the year 1900 Niger became a "French military dominion and placed under a succession of administrative bodies" (Hunt 1). The French maintained strong control and gave very limited power to the people of Niger. Later, the French placed all of their colonies under the Afrique Occidentale Françoise, the AOF (Hunt 1).

Weather continued to be a problem in Africa, as a painful drought lasted from 1913 to 1915 and created famine throughout West Africa. In search of food, many people moved to southern Niger, which weakened the small land area that the Tuareg’s had maintained control over in the north. Moreover, the French imposed new taxes on the Nigerians to support their efforts in World War I. However, the lack of food combined with the new taxes led to a rebellion in 1916. The French "brutally suppressed" the rebellion and reestablished their control (Hunt 1). The French maintained their hegemony by turning power over to a civilian administration and in 1922 making Niger a colony.

Although they were under French control, the people of Niger appreciated a period of peace in between the two World Wars. In the 1930s, Islam spread from Niger’s northern neighbor, Algeria, to Niger itself despite French concern. Additionally, technological advances in irrigation enabled people to increase their profit and agriculture became more successful throughout the colony. During the 1930s, the French did indeed increase the infrastructure of Niger, but they did this at the expense of forced labor of the Nigerians (Hunt 1). Additionally, much of this infrastructure was built with the benefits of the French in mind.

The Nigerians faced a trap considering that they relied on the French leadership yet this meant they had to partake in forced labor. In 1942 Niger followed numerous other African nations and pledged their allegiance towards the German-occupied French "Vichy" government. Their pledge of allegiance was more of a command of Nazi Germany than an offer (Pakenham 454). After the war, when France regained its independence, the French government granted the people of Niger French citizenship and stated that they would represent their views in the French National Assembly (Hunt 1).

The Sawaba (Independence) Party became the first political party in Niger and was founded by Dijibo Bakary. Bakary became vocal in 1958 when Niger had to vote regarding their independence from France. Bakary desperately wanted independence but was taken down and his rebellious actions simply angered France. Hamani Diori, “leader of the Niger branch of the African Democratic Assembly” gained power. Diori accumulated power for the Assembly and exiled Bakary to Guinea (Hunt 1). Niger received independence from France on August 3, 1960 (World Book 408). In recognition of his determined efforts for civil independence, Diori was appointed the first President of Niger.

Unfortunately, Diori had an unsuccessful presidency as weather created a tumultuous climate in Niger. The drastic effect that weather has had on Niger was acknowledged in the book, //Rainfall Variability and Tuareg Perceptions of Climate Impacts in Niger//. This book analyzes the politics in comparison to the amount of rainfall and notes that years of drought are also years of political crisis and turmoil (Sollod 2). Whenever there is famine people are naturally going to criticize the government for their lack of aid. This theory rings true for Diori's rule.

In the early 1970s, there was a yet another severe drought that created famine and poverty (World Book 409). This time of despair created an opportunity in 1974 for a group of soldiers lead by Seyni Kountche to overthrow Diori’s government. After the defeat, Kountche made himself president of the Supreme Military Council, which made all governing decisions. With Kountche’s death in 1987 Colonel Ali Saibou was elected to be his successor (World Book 409). The military council did little to aid the people as their economy declined in result to the decreasing worldwide prices of uranium (World Book 409). Uranium is the number one export from Niger and their economy is unable to survive a drop in price (World Book 409).

In 1992, the government changed again when a multiparty system was put into place, and people were able to vote. A year later, Mahamane Ousmane was elected president. His presidency was short lived as General Ibrahmin Bare Mainassara led a militarist coup in January of 1996 (World Book 408). After seizing power Mainassara proposed a constitution. The Nigerian people supported Mainassara’s proposed constitution and elected him as president that July. Despite his widespread support, many believed that the elections were corrupt. Three years later, in 1999, Mainassara was assassinated by his military officials who later seized control of the government (World Book 409).

The people of Niger approved the constitution of Mamadou Tandia in November of 1999 and reelected him in the 2004 elections. When Niger was finally enjoying political peace, it suffered from “locust invasions and drought (which) caused widespread food shortages” (World Book 408). The UN and other worldwide aid groups have done little for Niger, and it is often left to deal with its issues alone. This is because Niger has the 5th lowest GNP per year, and therefore many countries are reluctant to attempt to tackle the myriad of issues. Niger's largest problem is the vast amount of poverty. The majority of the population lives on less than one dollar a day (NYT 1). Additionally, as a result of colonial policies that ignored tribal rivalries, Nigerians have been turned against other Nigerians. This is why the country suffers from modern day slavery. Slavery was not outlawed until 2003 and it was estimated that at this time 43,000 Nigerians were enslaved by other Nigerians (NYT 2). After the ruling in 2003 the slavery did not end, and the West African regional court stated in 2008 “that the government had failed to protect a young woman sold into slavery at the age of 12” (NYT 2). Despite the despicable events such as slavery, Amnesty International does not have a presence in the country. This daunting statistic displays the endless issues that are a direct result of colonization.

Despite the fact that Mamadou was elected twice, he became increasingly unpopular. He faced “opposition at home as he steadily rolled back hard-fought democratic gains” (NYT 2). While in rule he altered the constitution in order to prolong his reign. The Nigerians could not stand for their newfound democracy to once again be stolen from them. In February of 2010, President Mamadou was overthrown by a military junta lead by Salou Djibo (NYT 1). Civil Servants took control of the ministries, although Djibo said that elections were going to be held and power is going to be restored to the people. He has not set a deadline for the transfer of power (NYT 2). As we begin a new century Niger is still a republic that is struggling with political instability that is a result of insensitive colonization.

  Works Cited Hunt, Davis R. "Niger, 1840 to 1960." //Facts on File//. Encyclopedia of African History and Culture, 2005. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. "Niger." //Countries and Territories//. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. "Niger." //The World Book Encyclopedia//. Chicago: Scott Fetzer, 2008. 407-09. Print. Pakenham, Thomas. //The Scramble for Africa, 1876-1912//. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 1991. Print. Sollod, Albert. //Rainfall Variability and Twareg Perceptions of Climate Impacts in Niger//. 3rd ed. Vol. 18. Human Ecology, 1990. //JSTOR//. 1990. Web. 27 Mar. 2010.      