Niger

Republic of Niger

Much of the area of the present day Republic of Niger (République du Niger) was incorporated into the Songhai Empire from 1340 to 1591 CE, at one time a vassal state of the Mali Empire. When Songhair collapsed, the Dendi Kingdom arose out of its ashes, incorporating much of present day Niger into its domain over the course of its relatively unstable existence. By 1901, the region had officially come under control of France, which administered the new territory of Niger (named after the river) through its governor in Dakar, Senegal. The country became an autonomous state within the French Community in 1958, and two years later was granted full independence.

During its first years of independence, Niger was governed by a single-party regime, but corruption and mismanagement brought about a military coup d'etat in 1974 which continued to control the nation until 1990. A transitional government was established in 1991, although political rivalry prevented a permanent democratic administration from making any progress, and in 1995 the government was again overthrown by the military under the leadership of Col. Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara. Colonel Baré reputedly engineered his own victory in a "democratic" election, and assumed the presidency until 1999, but was later killed in a coup led by Maj. Daouda Malam Wanké. A new constitution was drafted in 1999, and for the first time Niger held truly democratic elections resulting in the election of Mamadou Tandja. However, in February 2010 another coup d'etat wrested power from Tandja after he was accused of extending his political term through constitutional manipulation.

The Tuareg people are an ethnic Berber minority in much of Saharan Africa, and have historically expressed discontent at being governed by ethnic groups that did not have their best interests in mind. Several full-scale revolts have taken place in Niger, the first in 1914 (Kaocen Revolt), followed several decades later by the Second Tuareg rebellion in 1990. Sparked by the torture and execution of several hundred Tuareg civilians, two insurgent groups were formed to wage a campaign of independence against the Nigerien goverment: the Front de Liberation de l'Air et de l'Azaouak (FLAA) and the Front de Libération Tamoust (FLT). In April 1995, the government signed a peace agreement, integrating many of the former insurgents into the FAN. However, in 2007 a new outbreak of violence in the north, led by the Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice, resulted in two more years of war, with another ceasefire signed in 2009.

In 2010, a new constitution was adopted and Mahamadou Issoufou was elected as president, and then re-elected in 2016. In 2019, a military outpost in Inates was attacked by insurgents representing the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, resulting in the death of 89 Nigerien soldiers. Then on January 2, 2021, two separate attacks in Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye marked a larger campaign by IS-GS against both civilian and military targets throughout Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The threat of attacks by jihadist terrorists remains a very real problem into the present era.

The Forces Armées Nigeriennes (FAN) were formed in 1961 and today consist of the Army and the Air Force, as well as the Gendarmerie Nationale, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense. Formed in 1963, and formerly known as the Garde Republicaine, the National Guard (Garde Nationale) is a paramilitary corps that is administered by the Ministry of the Interior and is primarily responsible for the security of rural areas of the country. The National Police (Police Nationale) are also administered by the MOI.

In 1991 the FAN sent a small 400-man military contingent to join American-led allied forces during the Persian Gulf War. The Armed Forces have also participated in a number of peacekeeping missions, including those with ECOMOG (Liberia and Guinée-Bissau), the African Union (Burundi - MIOB, Comoros - MIOC), and the United Nations (Saudi Arabia - Iraq War, Rwanda - MINURCA, Democratic Republic of Congo - MONUC).

Camouflage Patterns of Niger

• The oldest documented camouflage pattern worn by military troops in Niger is the French tenue de leópard or lizard design, which appears to be a fairly late development. Photographs of Nigerien military personnel from the 1960s and 1970s all illustrate the use of solid-color combat uniforms, most of these olive drab. The earliest photographs of lizard pattern date to the late 1980s, and the use of this pattern was probably restricted to elite units such as the Parachute Battalion and/or units assigned to protect the president. Various uniform styles have been worn since that time, from the TAP Mle 1947/56 and F1 to the present day BDU style, and presumably several variations of the pattern as well. Although largely replaced by more contemporary designs among operational personnel, the lizard design continues to see use in units such as the Color Guard.

• The contingent from Niger to the Persian Gulf War in 1991 were issued with the same six-color chocolate chip desert pattern uniforms as the American troops. These personnel were also issued with the US M1 steel helmet and old "Mitchell" or "clouds" pattern camouflage helmet covers.

A copy of US chocolate chip desert pattern was officially adopted into service with FAN in the late 1980s, but sourced from Asian manufacturers so there are slight color variations from the original US produced fabric. This camouflage design has continued to see use with the armed forces into the present era.

• Also adopted into service in the late 1980s was the m81 woodland camouflage pattern. These may initially have been provided as aid by the American government as some examples lack the shoulder straps typically found on uniforms in Africa.

• First observed in use with Nigerien units in 1996, copies of the tricolor desert camouflage pattern have been worn by various branches of service and in different uniform styles for several decades. This pattern has historically been intermixed with both units of the Army and the Garde Nationale, although it seems to be primarily worn by the GN in the 2020s.

• The FAN began wearing a copy of the French CE woodland pattern around 2006-2007 and it remained in service, primarily with the Army and Air Force, until 2022.

• Both Army units at home and United Nations peacekeepers from Niger have worn uniforms of the Chinese-made lizard pattern copy, worn throughout many parts of the Africa. It is not known precisely when this pattern was adopted, but probably well before 2010. As with the desert patterns, this design could historically be found intermixed with other designs such as the CE woodland, and is also worn by the Gendarmerie National (GN).

• Primarily worn by the Garde Nationale, a copy of the French "Daguet" three-color desert camouflage pattern has been in use with the FAN since at least 2014.

• Introduced around 2010, the Garde Presidentielle adopted a unique lizard camouflage design incoporating fairly wide brushstrokes, with a color palette having medium brown, sea green, and sparse olive green stripes over a yellowish-sand background.

• Customs Agents of the General Directorate of Customs ( Direction Générale des Douanes) wear both woodland and DPM variant camouflage uniforms, apparently concurrently, since at least 2018.

• A formal announcement was issued at the end of 2022 that the Armed Forces would be adopted a completely new camouflage uniform beginning in January, 2023, to replace the previously issued copy of French Centre Europe camo. Although the new pattern has a tendency to blend into a single shade of olive green at a distance, the design actually consists of many small irregular "cracks" or "crinkle" shapes in a dark shade of olive interspersed over a solid olive green background. Additionally the logo of the FAN has been embedded into the design, which is the only feature of the camouflage that actually stands out at a distance. Although January 2023 was given as the official date of replacement, many units have continued to wear their own distinctive camouflage design into the present era.