Military of Niger

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Niger Armed Forces Forces Armées Nigeriennes (FAN)
Seal of the Niger Armed Forces
Founded	1 August 1961
Service branches	Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Republican Guard.
Headquarters	Niamey
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	President Mamadou Tandja
Minister of National Defence	Jidda Hamadou
Chief of staff	General Boureima Moumouni
Military age	18–49
Conscription	2 year compulsory [1]
Available for military service	2,135,680 (2005 est.), age 15–49
Fit for military service	1,155,054 (2000 est.), age 15–49
Active personnel	12,000
Reserve personnel	5000 (2003)[2]
Expenditures
Percent of GDP	1.6% (2007)
Industry
Foreign suppliers	France Morocco Algeria People's Republic of China Libya, United States

Nigerien army soldiers from the 322nd Parachute Regiment practice field tactics during combat training facilitated by U.S. Army Soldiers during exercise Flintlock 2007 in Maradi, Niger, April 6, 2007.

The Niger Armed Forces total 12,000 personnel with approximately 3,700 gendarmes, 300 air force, and 8,000 army personnel, including 4,000 members of the Garde Republicaine. The air force has four operational transport aircraft, including one C-130. The armed forces include a general staff, two paratroop companies, four light armored squadrons, and nine motorized infantry companies located in Tahoua, Agadez, Dirkou, Zinder, N'Guigmi, N'Gourti, and Madaweli.

[edit] Composition and structure

[edit] General staff

[edit] Air Force

The Niger Air Force ( L'armée de l'air) replaced the previous air forces (Groupement aérien national GAN) 16 December 2003, and was then structured as follows:^[3]

• Command unit, led by General Salou Souleymane (chef d'état major) answerable to the Joint Chief and the Minister of Defense;
• Operation units (opérations, escadrons);
• Technical units;
• Generalised staff;
• One company of infantry (compagnie de fusiliers).

Resources (2003): just less than 300 persons (41 officers of which 25 are pilots, 95 NCOs, 150 enlisted).

Operational aircraft (2003):

• 1 Boeing 737
• 1 Lockheed C-130 Hercules
• 1 Dornier Do 228 - 14 passengers or 2 tonnes of freight
• 1 Dornier Do 28 - 8 passenger
• 4 ULM Tétras - 2 place reconnaissance aircraft, organized into their own unit (Aviation légère d'observation, ALO
• 2 Mil Mi-17 Hip-H - helicopters

[edit] National police

[edit] Republican Guard

[edit] Foreign missons

In 1991, Niger sent a 400-man military contingent to join the American-led allied forces against Iraq during the Gulf War. Niger provides a battalion of peace-keeping forces to the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire.

As of 2003, the FAN had toops deployed in the following foreign missions:^[4]

• ECOMOG : Liberia, Guinée-Bissau ;
• African Union : Burundi (MIOB), Comoros (MIOC) ;
• United Nations : Saudi Arabia (Iraq War), Rwanda (MINURCA), Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC);

Panhard AML light armored cars with 90mm guns stand in a holding area during Operation Desert Shield. The equipment is part of the Niger army's arsenal.

[edit] Budget and foreign aid

Niger's defense budget is modest, accounting for about 1.6% of government expenditures. France provides the largest share of military assistance to Niger. Morocco, Algeria, the People's Republic of China, and Libya also provide military assistance. Approximately 18 French military advisers are in Niger. Many Nigerien military personnel receive training in France, and the Nigerien Armed Forces are equipped mainly with materiel either given by or purchased in France. United States assistance has focused on training pilots and aviation support personnel, professional military education for staff officers, and initial specialty training for junior officers. A small foreign military assistance program was initiated in 1983 and a U.S. Defense Attache office opened in June 1985. After being converted to a Security Assistance Office in 1987, it was subsequently closed in 1996, following a coup d'état. A U.S. Defense Attache office reopened in July 2000.

The United States provided transportation and logistical assistance to Nigerien troops deployed to Cote d'Ivoire in 2003.

Additionally, the U.S. provided initial equipment training on vehicles and communications gear to a company of Nigerien soldiers as part of the Department of State Pan Sahel Initiative. Military to military cooperation continues via the Trans-Saharan Counter Terrorism Partnership and other initiatives. EUCOM contributes funds for humanitarian assistance construction throughout the country. In 2007, a congressional waiver was granted which allows the Niger military to participate in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, managed by the Defense Attache Office. This program funded $170,000 in training in 2007.

[edit] Current conflict

The Nigerien Armed Forces were involved (as of late 2007) in an ongoing insurgencey in the north of the country, labeled the Second Tuareg Rebellion. A previously unknown group, the Mouvement des Nigeriens pour la Justice (MNJ), emerged in February 2007. The predominantly Tuareg group has issued a number of demands, mainly related to development in the north. It has attacked military and other facilities and laid landmines in the north. The resulting insecurity has devastated Niger's tourist industry and deterred investment in mining and oil. The government has labeled the MNJ criminals and traffickers, and refuses to negotiate with the group until it disarms. ^[5]

[edit] References and links

• Niger Factfile: The White Fathers, Sutton Coldfield, 14 June, 2007.
• Niger, Déplacement du Directeur au Niger, Ministère des Affaires étrangères (France), 2007. Gives 2007 force commanders.
• L’Ambassade de France au Niger:Les relations France-Niger:Coopération franco-nigérienne:La Mission de Coopération Militaire et de Défense (France), 2007.
• Niger: The right to justice. Amnesty International. Published: 6 April 2000. Report on Army involvement in the 1999 coup, the killing of General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, and other human rights abuses carried out by the FAN in the period 1990-2000.