Introduction
How is the Military in Niger and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Nigerien Air Force, Niger Gendarmerie (GN)

Ministry of Interior: Niger National Guard (GNN), National Police (2024).
In Niger, the military seized control of the government in 2023; since its establishment in 1960-61, it has played a significant role in the country’s politics, attempting coups in 1974, 1996, 1999, 2010, and 2021, and ruling Niger for much of the period before 1999

while the FAN is responsible for ensuring external security, most of its focus is on internal counterinsurgency/counterterrorism operations against terrorist groups operating in the areas bordering Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria, as well as much of northern Niger and the Diffa and Lake Chad regions; these groups include the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS), Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)

since the 2010s, Niger has placed considerable emphasis on improving the effectiveness and mobility of its security forces for countering terrorism and protecting the country’s borders; with training support and material assistance from the US and the EU, each security service has created new units or reconfigured existing units with an emphasis on mobility, hybridization, and specialized training; the Army has established a special operations command, several special intervention battalions, and an anti-terrorism unit known as the 1st Expeditionary Force of Niger (EFoN); the National Gendarmerie has created mobile units modeled on European gendarmerie forces known as the Rapid Action Group—Surveillance and Response in the Sahel (Groupe d'action Rapides—Surveillance et Intervention au Sahel or GAR-SI Sahel); the National Guard (GNN) has established mobile Multipurpose Squadrons (Escadrons Polyvalentes de la Garde Nationale de Niger or EP-GNN), while the National Police have created Mobile Border Control Companies (Compagnie Mobile de Contrôle des Frontières or CMCF); Niger has also established training centers for special forces in Tillia and peacekeeping in Ouallam; meanwhile, the Air Force has received armed UAVs from Turkey (2024)
Security and military information of Niger
Military and security service personnel strengths information varies; estimated 30-35,000 active FAN troops; estimated 5-10,000 paramilitary Gendarmerie and National Guard personnel (2024)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions the FAN's inventory consists of a wide variety of older weapons, including French, Russian, and Soviet era; in recent years, it has received small amounts of mostly secondhand equipment from several countries, including China, Egypt, and the US (2023)
Military service age and obligation 18 is the legal minimum age for selective compulsory or voluntary military service for unmarried men and women; 24-month service term (2023).
Military deployments Niger has committed about 1,000 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own country territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically (2024).
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2023 2% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military Expenditures 2022 1.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military Expenditures 2021 1.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military Expenditures 2020 2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military Expenditures 2019 1.7% of GDP (2019 est.)
Terrorism
In Niger, the different Terrorist group(s) inlcude: Boko Haram; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham – West Africa (ISIS-WA); Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM); al-Mulathamun Battalion (al-Mourabitoun)
All Important Facts about Niger

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Niger is found in Western Africa