The Republic of Niger and Its Struggle for Political Stability

Niger, not to be confused with the larger country Nigeria, is a country located in the western part of the African continent. The country is officially known as the Republic of Niger, and it neighbors Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, and Benin. The country is also landlocked which is unfortunate, because the economy is not able to capitalize on the lucrative fishing industry along the African coastline, a sector that makes up a large part of most African economies. Not only is the country landlocked, but the land that it does have tends to be very arid and thus infertile. Like most African countries, the economy is still in development and relies heavily on the agricultural sector. Niger is the twenty-second largest country in the world in terms of geographic area with approximately 490,000 square miles, though it isn't densely populated and has a population of only 12 million people. Of those 12 million people, approximately six percent of the population, 700,000, reside in the capital and largest city Niamey.

Niger is a former French colony that was colonized in the 19th century like most other countries on the African continent. When the French colonized the country, Niamey was a small, traditional village of ethnic tribes (specifically the Fulani, Maouri, and Zerma people), but after World War II the town experienced a huge population boom. Due to its French roots, there are a lot of aspects of French culture still evident in Niger, particularly in Niamey, including the French language which is widely spoken. In addition to French, Arabic and other tribal languages are also spoken, though French tends to be the universal, "official" language. Now, as well as being the capital and largest city, Niamey is the country's commercial center. Aside from the city of Niamey though, the population of Niger largely resides in rural villages throughout the semidesert and Saharan desert, two geographic terrains that take up a bulk of the country's area.

The Niger economy, as previously stated, largely revolves around the agricultural sector. Like most other African countries, the economy is largely subsistence oriented, and the country does not export many materials. The primary crops that are farmed in the country include: cassava, millet, sorghum, peanuts, rice, cotton, and onions. Farmers also raise goats, cattle, sheep, camels, and poultry. There is also a rise in raw-material mining, especially for uranium, ore, and other phosphates. Foreign-driven exploration teams are also now beginning to look for petroleum deposits as well.

The country of Niger was a colony under the French empire from 1884 until 1960, when the Republic of Niger was formed and a declaration of independence from France was given. After its independence, the leader of the Niger Progressive Party, Hamani Daori, ascended into the role of the president. Under Daori, there was much oppression of opposing parties, and was eventually overthrown in a coup led by military commander Seyni Kountche. After he was overthrown for his social injustices, he was placed on house arrest, which he remained on until 1987, two years before his death in Morocco. Kountche, ironically, died before Daori, in 1987. Another military commander, General Ali Seybou assumed the role as head of state, and introduced the first form of democracy in the country. Mahamane Ousmane was the first civilian head of state, when was elected by popular vote in 1993. The government was once against ousted in 1996 by military colonel Ibrahim Mainassara and then a free presidential election was held, in which Mainassara was elected by the people. Mainassara was assassinated in 1999 though, and Major Daouda Wanke became president. New elections were once again held in 1999, and a retired military commander Tandja Mamadou was elected, who was once against reelected in 2004. As one can clearly see, the Niger government has long been plagued with instability and chaos, one can only hope that things will change in the future.