Everything you need to know about Niger: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Niger: African Landlocked State and Former French Colony
In 1960 after getting independence from France, the military ruler Gen. Ali Saibou governed Niger until 1991. In 1991 wide spread corruption and mass resentments provoked people to revolt against the military dictatorship. The mass resentment forced military ruler Gen. Ali Saibou to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic set up in 1993. However the mutual hostilities between different political parties resulted in political instability and brought the Niger government to a stand still in 1996. In 1999 Ibrahim Bare the man behind the 1996 political crisis was killed by his fellow military officer, which cleared the way for elections. In 1999 elections people voted Mamadou Tandja to power.
Niger Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures
Geographical Information on Niger:
Niger is a landlocked country located in Western Africa, bordered by Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east.
Niger enjoys subtropical climate, which is very hot and dry and having much of desert area. In the extreme south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin.
Culture, Cuisine and Tradition of Niger:
Niger is the part of great Sahelian cultural region of western Africa. The beliefs, practices and followings of Islam’s are predominant. Pre-Islamic cultural traditions can also be seen in Niger. The impact of French culture can be seen through the some of the beliefs and practices that are followed by the Niger’s. Special attention was given to promote handicrafts, dances, and music of Niger. Several initiatives were taken in order to preserve the cultural legacy of Niger.
Cuisine of Niger is world famous because of their exotic tastes. African style of cooking influences the Nigerian pattern of food preparation and spices like cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, ginger and cloves are used to enhance the flavor of Niger’s food. The main diet of Niger are rice or legumes like niebe, millet, beef and mutton. Brochettes and foura is a dish, which is fermented millet prepared with sugar, milk, and spices. Tea is common beverage in Niger
Tourist Attractions of Niger:
The vast expansion of desert in Niger provides some of the rare vistas of sand dunes for the tourists who come to Niger. Niger is famous for its sand surfing and desert safari. The most important feature of Niger is the Sahara Desert that remains the primary attraction in the country. There are ample facilities of camel trekking on the grand desert. The desert provides a vivid picture of Bedouin and caravan culture. There are many tribes and clans, who inhabit the desert and have a distinct culture and custom of their own.
Major Sight-seeing Places in Niger include:
Kaduna (Nigeria), May 17 (IANS) Dozens of people have been killed in a military strike launched by Nigerian army since Thursday night in the northern part of the West African country, reported Xinhua citing security sources.
London, Apr. 29 (ANI): Diplomats have warned of growing Islamist violence against western targets in Libya as blowback from the war in Mali, following last week's attack on the French embassy in Tripoli.
Abuja, April 28 (IANS) Nigerian troops operating in the oil-rich Niger delta region have arrested 76 suspects and seized two boats used for oil bunkering, the military said Sunday.
Lagos (Nigeria), April 24 (IANS) Boko Haram, a Nigerian rebel group which battled the military over the weekend and left 185 people dead, has become a major challenge for the security forces, pushing the army chief to ask soldiers to be alert and confront the guerrillas who use "unconventional weapons and tactics".
Accra, April 19 (IANS) Ghanian President John Dramani Mahama has defied international sanctions to host Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the last leg of his three-nation West African tour that also took him to Benin and Niger.
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New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) India's efforts to raise its engagement with French-speaking Cote d'Ivoire - the former Ivory Coast - will see the formation of an India-Cote d'Ivoire Business Council that can serve as a bridge to the west African region.
Washington, Mar. 8 (ANI): More than 140 million girls will become child brides between 2011 and 2020, according to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) A government delegation from Burkina Faso is coming this month to prospect for Indian partners for proposed mega infrastructure projects in the rapidly developing West African nation.
Paris, Feb 24 (IANS) A spate of sudden raids and suicide attacks launched by Malian rebels have highlighted the risk of the Mali Army and its allies becoming mired in a guerrilla war, reports Xinhua.
Washington, Feb 23 (ANI): U.S. is opening a new drone base in their war against Al Qaeda, as president Barack Obama announced on Friday that they hand sent 100 American troops to West African country Niger to facilitate setting up a new base from which unarmed Predator aircraft would conduct surveillance in the region.
Abuja (Nigeria), Feb 13 (IANS) Nigeria's victorious football team was splashed with national honours, including plots of land and cash for winning the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sits with President Fracois Hollande here Thursday for a review of the strategic partnership, he would perhaps do well to seek a little more clarity on the situation in the Sahel which holds significant interest for India.
Washington, Jan. 29 (ANI): The United States military is preparing to set up a drone base in northwest Africa.
Accra (Ghana) Jan 27 (IANS) As French-led international forces in Mali press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels, the situation has not had any impact on Indians living in the West African nation, an Indian official said. There are about 200 people of Indian origin living across Mali.
New Delhi, Jan 22 (IANS) India will soon send oil and gas experts to Niger to explore hydrocarbon resources in the West African nation.
A United Nation agency has predicted that the condition of West Africa is worsening due to ongoing fighting with Islamist insurgents in the areas, triggering to uproot approximately 7,00,000 people in Mali................
Geneva, Jan 19 (IANS) Predicting a worsening of West Africa's refugee situation, a UN agency says up to 700,000 people are expected to be uprooted by the ongoing turmoil in Mali.
Somali pirates have finally released the Panama-flagged merchant vessel MV Iceberg 1, along with six Indian sailors who were on board. Taken captive in March 2010, the owner of the cargo ship had stopped negotiations with the pirates, whilst also not paying any compensation to the sailor's families. These sailors had been held hostage for 33 months, the longest captivity period inflicted by pirates till date. Most of them have suffered signs of physical torture and illness.
Tripoli, Dec. 19 (ANI): Libya's decision to shut its desert frontiers is a 'tall order' for its fledgling army, which is ill-equipped to seal largely uninhabited Saharan wastes stretching more than 4,000 kilometers.
Tripoli, Dec. 19 (ANI): Libya's decision to shut its desert frontiers is a 'tall order' for its fledgling army, which is ill-equipped to seal largely uninhabited Saharan wastes stretching more than 4,000 kilometers.
Abuja, Dec 12 (IANS) The Nigerian government has signed an agreement with a Chinese firm for the construction of a 700 MW power plant in Niger state.
New Delhi, Dec 6 (IANS) Born and brought up in Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa, young Tuareg guitarist and songwriter Bombino wants to take his music to people and countries around the world to expose them to his culture.
London, Dec 3 (ANI): Following the recent attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Al-Qaeda is intensifying efforts to establish a new base for its terrorist operations in Libya, Western intelligence reports have suggested.
London, Oct 12 (IANS) About one billion people across the world still do not own a mobile phone, and a third of the world's population is unable to access the internet, a study has found.
Sydney, Oct 12 (ANI): Over a third of the world's population has access to the Internet, and mobile phone uptake has increased by more than 600 million in 2011 to around six billion, a UN report has claimed.
Tripoli, Sept 6 (ANI): The United States and human rights organistaions around the world have urged Libyan authorities to give a fair trial to slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi's former intelligence chief after he was deported by Mauritania.
United Nations, Aug 18 (IANS) The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for keeping child soldiers out of armed conflicts, citing latest reports that armed groups in northern Mali are increasingly recruiting and using children for military purposes.
London, Aug 13 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The London Olympics have been proclaimed as the best Games ever by IOC president Jacques Rogge.
London, Aug. 2(ANI): An Olympian rower from the African nation of Niger, Hamadou Djibo Issaka, who is a gardener by profession, is upbeat in spite of performing awfully at the London Games.
Genoa, July 6 (IANS/AKI) A luxury vehicle belonging to Al Saadi Gaddafi, son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been seized by Italian police from a hotel in Genoa where it had been parked for almost five years.
London, July 5 (ANI): Developing world has less than 5 percent chance of meeting United Nations' target of halving the proportion of children who suffer from hunger by 2015 compared with 1990 levels, according to a systematic analysis of data on children's height and weight.
New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) An Indian business delegation of over 100 members, led by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, will visit Ghana next week to explore business opportunities between the two countries.
United Nations, June 21 (IANS) The UN has observed the World Refugee Day Wednesday.
Islamabad, June 8 (ANI): The president of Niger has warned that Jihadi fighters from Afghanistan and Pakistan are training militant groups in northern Mali.
Nouakchott, May 22 (ANI): Slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's ex-spy chief, who was arrested two months ago by Mauritanian authorities, has been charged for illegally entering the country.
Rome, May 17 (IANS/AKI) A 20-million euro ($25 million) hotel complex and land owned in Italy by the family of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have been seized.
London, May 8 (ANI): Niger is the worst place on earth to be a mother, according to a report by the world's leading children NGO.
Libreville (Gabon), April 29 (IANS) The Gabonese Football Federation confirmed that Portuguese Paulo Duarte will replace Gernot Rohr as head coach of Gabon.
London, Apr 26 (ANI): Global population must be stabilised quickly and high consumption in wealthy nations should be rapidly reduced to save our planet from "a downward spiral of economic and environmental ills", researchers have warned.
New Delhi, Apr 24 (ANI): Envoys of twelve nations presented their credentials to the President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Tuesday.
New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) Welcoming the envoys of 12 countries, President Pratibha Patil Tuesday said it was very important to work together and have institutions in which the voices from developing countries find expression owing to the global financial crisis and developments in the Euro zone.
Madrid, April 22 (IANS/EFE) Spanish physician Jose Manuel Machimbarrena, kidnapped in Nigeria April 4, has been freed and is in good health though "pretty tired", officials at Spain's foreign ministry said Saturday.
Madrid, April 12 (IANS/EFE) The kidnapping in Nigeria of a Spanish physician has "all the characteristics" of being an economic crime rather than a political one, Spain's foreign minister said Wednesday.
New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Tuesday stressed the urgent need for India, the first among 12 countries where open defecation takes place, to check and curb the practice and reduce the high rate of water-borne disease in rural communities.
London, Mar 24 (ANI): Tom Hanks, who has been caught in a race row storm after footage emerged of him sharing a stage with a 'blacked-up' man, has apologised for the "hideously offensive" incident that occurred when he hosted a charity auction at his children's school.
Addis Ababa, Mar 24 (ANI): The African Union has suspended Mali's membership following the military coup, which ousted president Amadou Toumani Tour?.
London, Mar 24 (ANI): Tom Hanks, who has been caught in a race row storm after footage emerged of him sharing a stage with a 'blacked-up' man, has apologised for the "hideously offensive" incident that occurred when he hosted a charity auction at his children's school.
Abuja, Feb 12 (ANI): Niger authorities have said that it would not extradite slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi Gaddafi even though he violated his asylum conditions with "subversive" comments in a television interview.
Abuja, Feb 12 (ANI): Niger authorities have said that it would not extradite slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi Gaddafi even though he violated his asylum conditions with "subversive" comments in a television interview.
Abuja, Feb 6 (ANI): Al-Qaeda operatives in North Africa have reportedly helped to transform Boko Haram into a terrorist group capable of killing hundreds in sophisticated attacks.
Algiers, Dec 11 (ANI): Algeria has reportedly refused to allow American and French drones to fly over its southernmost desert areas to target smuggling of weapons from Libya.
Tripoli, Nov 23 (ANI): A Libyan tribesman has been feted as a hero after it emerged that he turned in Saif al-Islam Gaddafi depite being offered a million Euros to drive him to the nation's border with Niger.
Tripoli, Nov 22 (ANI): A doctor, who examined Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's wounds, has fuelled speculations that his fingers were chopped off by the rebels.
Tripoli, Nov 20 (ANI): The trial of Muammar Gaddafi's son, Saif-al-Islam, in Libya could reportedly embarrass some of the influential British figures, including Duke of York, Prince Andrew and the country's former Prime Minister Tony Blair if he reveals details of the close links he enjoyed with them.
London, Nov 12 (ANI): Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufi has announced his decision to grant asylum to slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi.
Washington, Nov 12 (ANI): Mahamadou Issoufou, the President of Niger, the nation that shares a massive boundary with Libya, has warned that the weapons smuggled after the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi's government are disseminating all over the region.
London, Nov 12 (ANI): Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufi has announced his decision to grant asylum to slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi.
Washington, Nov 6 (ANI): Iran has dismissed a UN watchdog report on Tehran's nuclear programme, saying that its new intelligence on alleged nuclear weapons work by the regime is 'fabricated'.
Tripoli, Oct 31 (ANI): Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's luxurious home, Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, was torn down today by bulldozers.
Ottawa, Oct 30 (ANI): A private security contractor and former soldier from Canada has admitted that he had helped Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son Saadi flee Libya last month, after Tripoli was captured by rebels.
Tripoli, Oct 30 (ANI): Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif has reportedly hired a group of South African mercenaries that would help him to move to a friendly African nation, it has emerged.
Tripoli, Oct 28 (ANI): A senior official in the National Transitional Council (NTC) has claimed that former Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has crossed the Libyan border into Niger.
Tripoli, Oct 27 (ANI): Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam has offered to 'surrender' to the International Criminal Court in return for a guarantee of his safety.
Tripoli, Oct 26 (ANI): The body of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will be buried today in a "simple" ceremony at an unknown location in the desert, the country's interim leaders have announced.
Niamey, Oct 23 (ANI): Former Libyan leader Mummar Gaddafi's intelligence chief Abdallah Senoussi has taken refuge in Niger's extreme north, a senior Nigerien official has said.
Niger, Oct 3 (ANI): Fallen Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son al-Saadi has branded Interpol's decision to put him on the most-wanted list as political.
Tunis, Sept 23 (ANI): Fallen Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's last prime minister has been arrested in Tunisia.
United Nations, Sept 22 (APP): Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has told a ministerial panel of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC)that Kashmiris' struggle for the right to self-determination has gained a "new momentum" that deserves full support of the international community and the Muslim Ummah (community).
Tripoli, Sept 18 (ANI): Embattled Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly urged his gradually diminishing troops to "do or die" in their fight for the nation.
London, Sept 16 (ANI): The number of children under five who die each year has dropped from 12 million in 1990, to 7.6 million last year, the United Nations (UN) has said.
Washington, Sept 15(ANI): American diplomats claimed to have tracked down Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's third son, Saadi Gaddafi and detained him under house arrest.
London, Sept 14 (ANI): One of the sons of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi engaged in a sex and drugs binge in London while his father's regime was collapsing.
Tripoli, Sept 14 (ANI): Libya's interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil has said Sharia law will be used as the basis for new legislation in the country following the fall of the Gaddafi regime.
Tripoli, Sept 12 (ANI): Fugitive Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has accused revolutionary forces of handing over his country to colonialism, and insisted that they will not allow themselves be ruled after having ruled the country for decades.
Niger, Sept 12 (ANI): Another son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly crossed the border to take refuge in neighbouring Niger.
Tripoli, Sept 12 (ANI): The defeat of Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will lead to a proliferation of arms and fighters in the desert areas of West and Central Africa, turning the region into a "powder keg," regional experts.
Tripoli, Sept 12 (ANI): One of fallen Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's sons has reportedly fled to Niger, as the new rebel leaders focus their attention on bringing the country under their full control.
Algiers, Sept 9 (ANI): The European Union's counterterrorism coordinator has warned that al- Qaeda's North African offshoot is extending its footprint around Africa, adding that local governments need more help fighting it.
Tripoli, Sept 8 (ANI): A senior Western diplomat has said that NATO will not prevent Colonel Gaddafi fleeing Libya by bombing any vehicle the ousted tyrant may be using.
Tripoli, Sept 8 (ANI): Fallen Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has reportedly made a phone call to a local TV station, vowing to defeat the rebels and NATO, as a home video emerges of him playing with his family.
Niamey, Sept 7 (ANI): A senior member of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's inner circle sneaked into Niger along with three carloads of collaborators, but the fallen Libyan leader or his family members were not among them, an official there has confirmed.
Tripoli, Sep 6(ANI): Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's sons have fled from their stronghold town Bani Walid, and ordered Libyan troops to defend it by using residents as human shields.
Islamabad, June 22(ANI): Pakistan has been ranked 12th on a list of the "most failed states" by the Foreign Policy, a global magazine of politics, economics, and ideas.
London, Apr 9(ANI): Former Libyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moussa Koussa, who faces inquiries from the International Criminal Court and families of the victims of Libyan terrorists, could be allowed to leave the United Kingdom, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.
Tripoli, Apr 5 (ANI): Militant Islamist group Al-Qaeda is using the ongoing Libyan conflict to acquire weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, which is heightening fears that they could shoot down a passenger plane in the Mediterranean.
London, Apr 2(ANI): Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi is a psychological wreck, former Libyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moussa Koussa has told British spy chiefs.ccording to the Sun, Koussa said that Gaddafi is cowering in the rubble of his bomb-battered bunker in Tripoli, surrounded by bitterly feuding henchmen.
London, Apr.1 (ANI): Relatives of victims of the Lockerbie bombing have demanded that former Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa should be questioned over claims that he masterminded the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am flight which killed around 270 people.
Tripoli, Mar 27(ANI): Al-Qaeda's offshoot in North Africa has snatched surface-to-air missiles from an arsenal in Libya during the civil strife there, Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno has said.
Washington, Mar 26 (ANI): The fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi might see the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic terrorist groups filling up the void, US analysts have said.
Tripoli, Mar 23 (ANI): The International Monetary Fund has claimed that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has stored 150 tons of gold worth four billion pounds at the Libyan central bank under the dictator's direct control, enough to pay mercenaries for years.
London, March 4 (ANI): Britain has frozen the assets of 20 of Colonel Gaddafi's security chiefs with the intention of pressurising the Libyan leader to step down.
London, Dec 16 (ANI): Nigeria has dropped corruption charges against former US Vice-President Dick Cheney, after Halliburton, the oil firm he used to run, agreed to pay 250 million dollars in fines, according to reports.
Washington, Nov 22 (ANI): India has topped the list of top ten nations that lacks sanitary facilities.
London, Oct. 22 (ANI): Al-Qaeda is poised to overrun five states in North Africa and the Middle East, creating terrorist safe havens from which the network can launch attack on the West, Europe and the US have been warned.
London, Oct 2 (ANI): There is a 60 percent global shortfall in funds for malaria control, according to a report by the UK and African experts.
London, Sep 17 (ANI): New statistics have revealed that the amount of official development assistance (ODA) to maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in developing countries has apparently doubled between 2003 and 2008, but its ratio to overall aid for health has remained static.
Melbourne, Aug 24(ANI): An Australian woman from Melbourne has become the first person to cycle continuously from Africa's most westerly to easterly points.
New Delhi, June 17 (ANI): The Government of Thursday appointed Yogendra Pratap Singh as the first Ambassador of India to the Republic of Niger.
London, Jan. 23 (ANI): Habib Malik, the Scotland area manager of Islamic Relief, has been named for the Burns Humanitarian Award for his aid work in some of the poorest parts of the world.
