
Niger

Niger performs in the low range in Representation and in the mid-range across the other categories of the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. Over the last five years, it has experienced significant declines in all factors in Representation, as well as in Political Equality. The declines in Representation reflect the effects of a coup d'état in July 2023 that deposed President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger is a low-income country. Although it is a major global uranium exporter, most of the population is still dependent on subsistence agriculture. Niger’s politics are driven by major security challenges – including terrorism and militia attacks against civilians – and poverty. The country has experienced five coups since independence from France.
Present-day Niger was long-inhabited by the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara and the agriculturalists of the south. The country became part of French West Africa in the 19th century, and it secured its independence in 1960. Niger maintained close ties with France, and the country was France’s favoured counter-terrorism security partner in the Sahel. However, protests against the French presence have occurred, including in the aftermath of the 2023 coup; in December 2023, French troops were expelled from the country.
The population of Niger is ethnically diverse and comprises the Hausa, Songhai, Tuareg, Fulani, and Kanuri groups. Niger has been celebrated for successfully addressing decades of unrest from (mainly Tuareg-led) armed groups by improving minority group representation in government. The country has done so by guaranteeing parliamentary representation to all ethnic groups and by decentralizing some administrative functions.
Nevertheless, Niger is vulnerable to terrorism from outside the country as a result of porous borders and internal terrorism due to a lack of economic opportunities. As a result, the jihadist groups operating in the Sahel have caused a major security and humanitarian crisis in Niger. Attacks have promoted local communities to form self-defence militia, which have also been accused of participating in inter-communal conflicts. Regional insecurity has also driven hundreds of thousands of refugees to Niger, mainly from Mali and Nigeria, further straining resources.
Insecurity has hampered Niger’s economic performance by disrupting education, markets, and basic services. Extreme weather conditions have negatively impacted agricultural production and are estimated to cause a loss of up to 3 per cent of GDP growth, acting as a major development hurdle for Niger. Gender inequality is also a major concern, especially in relation to the persistent practice of slavery, which is said to be sustained by the high rates of poverty in the country. In addition, sex trafficking is widespread. High levels of child marriage and low access to reproductive healthcare have long been problems in Niger, but legal reforms since 2019 have sought to address these problems.
Going forward, much will depend on the transition to civilian rule in the aftermath of the 2023 coup. In addition to all factors of Representation, it will be important to watch Rights, especially in light of the history of severely curtailed human rights in an environment marked by violent extremism, as well as by the imposition of states of emergencies in several regions. Simultaneously, the extreme poverty levels that leave its population battling to meet their basic needs is a major concern. As a result of these factors, the Rights category and Social Group Equality should be watched moving forward. Security and poverty issues continue to constitute the main drivers of politics in the Sahelian state.
(Last updated August 2024)
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
February 2025
National commission recommends five-year democratic transition, new constitution, and amnesty
On 20 February, a national commission tasked with planning Niger’s transition to civilian government submitted its recommendations to the ruling junta. The commission consulted more than 700 delegates including lawyers, architects and teachers, though not political parties, who boycotted the process. The recommendations include a minimum five-year transition to civilian rule, the dissolution of all existing political parties and new rules that limit the number of political parties to five. The commission also proposed drafting a new constitution and granting amnesty to all participants in the 2023 coup. Further, it suggested allowing junta officials, including leader Brig. Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, to contest future elections. Tchiani welcomed the recommendations and pledged to support them, but the junta has yet to decide whether to formally adopt the plan and set the official transition timeline.
Sources: ActuNiger, Reuters, AP News, Human Rights Watch, Radio France Internationale (1), Radio France Internationale (2)
Junta tightens restrictions on humanitarian organizations, expels Red Cross
Niger’s junta has intensified restrictions on humanitarian organizations, ordering the closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offices and expelling its expatriate staff on 4 February. The government formally terminated its agreements with the humanitarian organization but provided no official explanation. The ICRC had operated in Niger for 35 years, assisting victims of violence in conflict-affected regions – providing healthcare services to more than 120,000 people in 2024 alone. The ICRC is not the only humanitarian organization to have had its license revoked. On 12 November 2024, the French NGO Acted and its Nigerien partner APBE (Action for Well-being) also lost their authorization without any stated justification. Civic space in Niger has continued to shrink, with authorities increasingly citing national sovereignty to justify the tightening of controls on humanitarian and civil society organizations.
Sources: Aïr Info, Radio France Internationale, Jeune Afrique
December 2024
Military junta suspends BBC operations
On 12 December, Niger’s military junta suspended the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) radio broadcasts in the country for three months, citing its alleged role in disseminating information that could “destabilize social order and demoralize the military”. BBC programmes, aired via local radio partners in Hausa and French, reached a wide audience. While authorities provided no further details of their allegations, the suspension follows BBC reports on jihadist attacks in the Tillabéri region in early December, which reportedly left 91 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians dead. Though radio broadcasts are suspended, the BBC website remains accessible, and shortwave transmissions continue. The decision expands previous media restrictions on domestic as well as French outlets such as France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI). Press freedom groups condemned the suspension, warning of increasing repression of independent journalism under military rule.
Sources: Le Sahel, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Associated Press, The International Federation of Journalists
October 2024
Citizenship revocations target political opponents
On 10 October, Niger's transitional government, led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, issued a decree provisionally revoking the citizenship of nine former senior officials from the administration of the ousted Mohamed Bazoum, citing threats to national security. All nine individuals are currently in exile, and eight reportedly hold only Nigerien passports, potentially rendering them stateless. Among those affected were Rhissa Ag Boula, Bazoum’s former advisor, Generals Mahamadou Abou Tarka, head of the High Authority for the Consolidation of Peace, and Karingama Wali Ibrahim, former head of the presidential guard. The decree relies on a terrorism database criticized for lacking international safeguards and providing no adequate mechanisms for appeal, raising questions about due process.
Sources: Tantaminfo, X, Jeune Afrique, Human Rights Watch
September 2024
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger launch joint media platform
On 16 September, the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced the launch of a joint indigenous media platform following the suspension of French news outlets in the region. This initiative, a web-based television channel, is intended to provide state-controlled information and counter what the governments describe as biased foreign reporting. The media launch comes amid growing restrictions on press freedom in these countries, where military-led governments have expelled several international media organizations. The creation of this platform reflects a broader trend in the Sahel of increasing government control over information and an erosion of media independence.
Sources: France24, Anadolu Agency, International IDEA
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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023
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