French Sudan was a French colonial territory in the Federation of French West Africa from around 1880 until 1959, when it joined the Mali Federation, and then in 1960, when it became the independent state of Mali. The colony was formally called French Sudan from 1890 until 1899 and then again from 1921 until 1958, and had a variety of different names over the course of its existence. The colony was initially established largely as a military project led by French troops, but in the mid-1890s it came under civilian administration.
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan, French Guinea, Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Dahomey and Niger. The federation existed from 1895 until 1958. Its capital was Saint-Louis in Senegal until 1902, and then Dakar until the federation's collapse in 1960.
Upper Senegal and Niger was a colony in French West Africa, created on 21 October 1904 from colonial Senegambia and Niger by the decree "For the Reorganisation of the general government of French West Africa".
The regions of Niger are subdivided into 63 departments. Before the devolution program on 1999–2005, these departments were styled arrondissements. Confusingly, the next level up (regions) had, before 2002-2005 been styled departments. Prior to a revision in 2011, there had been 36 departments. A draft law in August 2011 would expand that number to 63. Until 2010, arrondissements remained a proposed subdivision of departments, though none were used. The decentralisation process, begun in the 1995-1999 period replaced appointed Prefects at Departmental or Arrondissement level with elected councils, first elected in 1999. These were the first local elections held in the history of Niger. Officials elected at commune level are then selected as representatives at Departmental, regional, and National level councils and administration. The Ministry of Decentralisation was created to oversee this task, and to create a national consultative council of local officials.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Niger:
Niger is divided into eight regions, each of which is named after its capital.
Téra is a department of the Tillabéri Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Téra. As of 2011, the department had a total population of 579,658 people.
The Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress–Sawaba is a political party in Niger, founded as the Nigerien Democratic Union in 1954. The original party, founded by Nigerien Progressive Party (PPN) co-leader Djibo Bakary when he was expelled from the PPN. In the mid-1950s it created a broad coalition led by urban leftists but forged of conservative rural notables, especially from Hausa areas, which dominated the nascent Nigerien independence movement. In this period it was renamed Mouvement Socialiste Africain–Sawaba, and then simply Sawaba. In pushing for complete independence from France in a 1958 referendum, the party fractured. At independence in 1960 it found itself in opposition and outlawed by Niger's first president, Hamani Diori. From exile, the party attempted an abortive guerrilla campaign in the mid-1960s, and then largely disappeared. Its leadership returned to Niger following the 1974 military coup, but soon found themselves arrested, in exile, or marginalised. Following the return of democracy in 1991, the now elderly Bakary re-founded the party as UDFP–Sawaba. In the 1993 elections it took only a small numbers of votes. Within the year the party had split, with a new faction (UDFR–Sawaba) joining the government coalition. Despite Bakary's death in 1998 and their continued electoral underachievement, both parties holding the Sawaba name continue.
Niger is governed through a four layer, semi-decentralised series of administrative divisions. Begun 1992, and finally approved with the formation of the Fifth Republic of Niger on 18 July 1999, Niger has been enacting a plan for decentralisation of some state powers to local bodies. Prior to the 1999-2006 project, Niger's subdivisions were administered via direct appointment from the central government in Niamey. Beginning with Niger's first municipal elections of 2 February 1999, the nation started electing local officials for the first time. Citizens now elect local committee representatives in each commune, chosen by subdivisions of the commune: "quarters" in towns and "villages" in rural areas, with additional groupings for traditional polities and nomadic populations. These officials choose mayors, and from them are drawn representatives to the department level. The departmental council, prefect, and representatives to the regional level are chosen here using the same procedure. The system is repeated a regional level, with a regional prefect, council, and representatives to the High Council of Territorial Collectives. The HCCT has only advisory powers, but its members have some financial, planning, educational and environmental powers. The central government oversees this process through the office of the Minister of State for the Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization.
France–Niger relations are the foreign relations between France and Niger. Their relations are based on a long shared history and the more than sixty year rule of Niger by the French colonial empire, beginning with the French conquest in 1898. Niger obtained independence from France in 1960, and a history of French influenced culture and French language have been a point of commonality in the creation of a distinctive Nigerien culture from the diverse pre-colonial nationalities which make up modern Niger. France benefited economically from their time as a colonial power, and still relies on imports from Niger for elements of their economy.
General Council elections were held in Niger on 15 December 1946, with a second round of voting on 5 January 1947. The General Council had been established by decree on 25 October 1946.
The Chad–Niger border is 1,196 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Libya in the north, to the tripoint with Nigeria in the south.
The Mali–Niger border is 828 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Burkina Faso in the west to the tripoint with Algeria in the east.
The Burkina Faso–Niger border is 622 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Mali in the north to the tripoint with Benin in the south.
The Algeria–Niger border is 951 kilometres in length and runs from the tripoint with Mali in the west to the tripoint with Libya in the east.
The Libya–Niger border is 342 kilometres in length and runs from the tripoint with Algeria in the west to the tripoint with Chad in the east.
The Ivory Coast–Mali border is 599 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Guinea in the west to the tripoint with Burkina Faso in the east.
The Burkina Faso–Mali border is 1,325 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Ivory Coast in the west to the tripoint with Niger in the east.
The Burkina Faso–Ivory Coast border is 545 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Mali in the west to the tripoint with Ghana in the east.
Bibata Adamou Dakaou is a Nigerien former educator and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the National Assembly in 1989.
