The Nigerien's Movement for Justice (in French ''Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice'', MNJ) is a largely Tuareg ethnic, northern Niger based

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...

group. But the MNJ also includes other nomadic ethnicities, within this area, such as the Toubou and the Fulani have also joined the group, which has been battling the Niger government since 2007. The MNJ wants a greater share of the revenues from northern Niger's uranium wealth to be invested in the region. Niger is one of the top five uranium producers in the world. It is also one of the bottom five poorest countries on earth. The MNJ also want a restriction of the area that will be affected by the expansion of the uranium mines, to protect the space they need to raise their animals. The Niger government has dismissed the MNJ as "bandits" and "drug-smugglers", and turned the northern half of the country into a closed military zone under curfew and military law suspending certain freedoms. Journalists are strictly prohibited from covering the rebellion.

Events

MNJ has claimed a series of attacks on the Nigerien Military and foreign economic interests since February 2007. The organization has taken responsibility for attacks which have killed 45 people and seized several Nigerien soldiers. In 2008, the MNJ claimed to have some 3,500 fighters, many of them

defectors In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

from the Nigerien military. In June 2007, the MNJ attacked northern Niger's main airport at Agadez and overran an army outpost in the Aïr Mountains taking over 70 Nigerien soldiers prisoner. On 6 July 2007, the MNJ kidnapped a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

nuclear engineer working for

China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corps China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, holding him for about 10 days until releasing him to the Red Cross. The company had been prospecting for uranium for some time in Teguidan Tessoumt in cooperation with the Niger government, and MNJ wanted them to cease their operations. On 22 June 2008, the MNJ kidnapped four employees of Areva, the French state nuclear corporation which has been exploiting northern Niger's uranium for over forty years. The French nationals were released to the Red Cross three days later.

Leaders

The MNJ is led by Aghaly ag Alambo, a former member of the ''

Front de libération de l'Aïr et de l'Azawagh Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music *The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ea ...

'' (FLAA), and

Mohamed Acharif Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam. Muhammad and variations may also refer to: *Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations ...

, a former captain in the

Nigerien Armed Forces This article is about the demographic features of the population of Niger, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The larges ...

who defected to the rebels in May 2007. Aghaly Alambo, from Iferouane in northern Niger, was apparently inspired by the Mali based Tuareg group ''

May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change The May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change (french: Alliance Démocratique du 23 mai pour le Changement; abbreviated ADC) is a Malian Tuareg rebel group, formed in 2006 by ex-combatants from the 1990s Tuareg insurgency in Mali. In 2007, spli ...

'' (''Mai 23, 2006 Alliance démocratique pour le changement - ADC)'', ex-combatants who led a short campaign in the north of Mali from May to July 2006, when they signed a peace deal with the Bamako government.Jusqu?où ira la rébellion?
Jeune Afrique: 15 July 2007. In late March 2008, the ADC restarted its armed uprising against the Mali government.

References

{{reflist * 6. (Italian) Parla Aghaly Alambo

Cristiano Tinazzi, Left: 12 ottobre 2007
Al Jazeera English Special Coverage Page: Unrest in the SaharaThe Niger Movement for Justice (Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice, MNJ) Press site
: three to ten communiqués a week have been posted since April 2007

External links

IRIN - humanitarian news and analysis with frequent reports on the situation in northern Niger
* (French
The Niger Movement for Justice (Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice, MNJ) Press site
: three to ten communiqués a week have been posted since April 2007
Reputed press site of the '' ALLIANCE TOUAREGUE NIGER-MALI''
created 31 August 2007

Rebel groups in Niger Guerrilla organizations History of Niger

Niger Movement for Justice The Nigerien's Movement for Justice (in French ''Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice'', MNJ) is a largely Tuareg ethnic, northern Niger based militant group. But the MNJ also includes other nomadic ethnicities, within this area, such as the ...

2000s in Niger Organizations established in 2007 2007 establishments in Niger

Events

Leaders

See also

References

External links