Under attack? Niger faced with religious extremism and terrorism

The report examines the threats of religious extremism and terrorism in Niger, analyzing the factors contributing to its vulnerability and resilience. It details the government's three-pillar response—military, socioeconomic, and legal—while highlighting the challenges of regional cooperation in the Sahel-Saharan region.

• Niger is vulnerable to terrorism due to its geographic proximity to instability in northern Mali, southern Libya, and northern Nigeria, as well as its economic fragility and youth unemployment.
• The government's military response focuses on asymmetric warfare through the acquisition of Ukrainian-made Sukhoi Su-25 fighter aircraft, increased local patrols, and intelligence cooperation with France and the United States involving drones.
• Niger has implemented a socioeconomic strategy called the Strategy for the Development and Security of the Sahel-Saharan Zones (SDS), launched in October 2012, with a provisional budget of 1,266 billion francs CFA, though implementation is delayed by funding difficulties.
• To address food and nutritional insecurity, the government adopted the 'Nigeriens feed Nigeriens' (3Ns) programme with a 2012–2015 investment plan totaling approximately 1,000 billion CFA francs.
• Niger updated its legal framework on 27 January 2013, creating a specialized counter-terrorism division and trial chamber and defining terrorism to include aircraft and ship hijacking, nuclear attacks, and hostage taking.
• Regional cooperation frameworks, such as the Fusion and Liaison Unit (UFL) and the General Staff Joint Operations Committee (CEMOC), are viewed as largely ineffective or 'paper tigers', leading Niger to pursue bilateral agreements with Mauritania, Chad, and Nigeria.
• The proliferation of various international and regional strategies for the Sahel, often developed without deep consultation with affected states, risks creating overlapping efforts and competition.

APA

Zounmenou, D., Toupane, P. M., & Lidawo, K. (2013). Under attack? Niger faced with religious extremism and terrorism. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS7ENG17Oct2013.pdf

Chicago

Zounmenou, David, Paulin Maurice Toupane, and Kilo Lidawo. Under attack? Niger faced with religious extremism and terrorism. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS7ENG17Oct2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Zounmenou |first1=David |last2=Toupane |first2=Paulin Maurice |last3=Lidawo |first3=Kilo |title=Under attack? Niger faced with religious extremism and terrorism |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=September 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS7ENG17Oct2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zounmenou2013under, author = {Zounmenou, David and Toupane, Paulin Maurice and Lidawo, Kilo}, title = {{Under attack? Niger faced with religious extremism and terrorism}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ECOWAS7ENG17Oct2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }