The security system in Niger has weakened due to ongoing conflicts. The absence of a stable government prevents the successful distribution of public services, strong democracy, and peacekeeping from taking place. The central government has taken advantage of the situation to weaken the opposition and infringe on democratic processes. To intensify the issue, conflicts in neighboring countries make fighting extremism difficult.
In Niger, two of the three forms of democratic backsliding outlined by Bermeo have occurred. In addition to an executive coup in 2010, there were two alleged attempts at promissory coups between 2015 and 2018 to overthrow President Mahamadou Issoufou. Although Issoufou’s administration claims that those coup attempts happened, they have yet to present evidence and the incidents remain hearsay to the public. In Niger, the president is limited to two five-year terms. Between 2009 and 2010, President Tandja attempted to extend his presidential term. He wanted to create a new constitution to extend his term; when the National Assembly and Constitutional court rejected this, Tandja dissolved them.
After the military coup in 2010, Niger successfully held democratic elections in 2011. The president was even re-elected for another five-year term in 2016. However, according to Freedom House, “The elections themselves were plagued with irregularities including vote-buying, underage voting, and rigging of election results”. Elected officials have impeded attempts by the opposition to participate in government by having them imprisoned on suspicious charges. Even more so, the suspected coups of 2015 and 2018 have not been proven. The government of Niger has presented this information, but most other sources are unable to confirm it occurred or why. Citizens do criticize their government, but brutal crackdowns may follow. This means that the voices of the people are not being heard and this behavior also discourages others from speaking out. It is very difficult to hold the government accountable.
The Libyan Civil War and Insurgency in Northern Mali have spilled over into Niger. Jihadist groups from neighboring countries take advantage of the conflict to spread their influence.
Due to marginalization by the Malian government, Tuareg people attempted rebellion and were sheltered by the Ghaddafi regime in Libya. The fall of his regime led to the expansion of extremists, Tuareg rebel groups who were able to take control of large areas of Mali. However, parts of Niger lack the projection of the central government, allowing these groups to use it as a base of operations.
The inability of the government to prevent attacks has led to the formation of militias. Unfortunately, these militias are formed along ethnoreligious lines. They also frequently engage in crimes such as human, drug, and arms trafficking. The government has proved unable to make lasting changes concerning security and jihadist groups. Nigerien armed forces are also targeted by jihadist groups. The security situation has deteriorated despite assistance from French armed forces. This has led to a security dilemma, where citizens increasingly form militias to protect themselves, yet it only escalates the violence.
The Issoufou administration has used instability to erode democracy and cannot combat the insurgency. The citizens of Niger have serious concerns about their safety and ability to participate in elections. Niger is also hosting refugees from Mali, Sudan, and northern Nigeria. Some of the refugees have been displaced multiple times. The problems in Niger mirror the issues in other Sahel countries. This is an issue for the Sahel region and the rest of North Africa.
Bermeo, Nancy. 2016. “On Democratic Backsliding.” Journal of Democracy 27(1): pp.5-19.
“Niger.” Niger | Freedom House, Freedom House, 11 June 2019, freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2019/niger.
Zandonini, Giacomo, and Francesco Bellina. “Niger, Part 1: At the Centre of a Brewing Militant Storm.” The New Humanitarian, 16 Apr. 2019, www.thenewhumanitarian.org/special-report/2019/03/28/niger-part-1-centre-brewing-militant-storm.