The Nigerien National Guard (french: Garde Nationale du Niger), formerly known as the (1997-2011)Historical Dictionary of Niger pp. 244
Gouvernance du secteur de la sécurité en Afrique de l’Ouest: les défis à relever – Le Niger and (1963-1997), is a paramilitary corps of the Armed Forces of Niger under the control of the Ministry of Interior, Public Safety and Decentralization. It is headed by the superior commander of the national guard.

History

The National Guard was first created in 1963 as the Republican Guard under the presidency of President

Diori Hamani Hamani Diori (6 June 1916 – 23 April 1989) was the first President of the Republic of Niger. He was appointed to that office in 1960, when Niger gained independence. Although corruption was a common feature of his administration, he gained in ...

. Due to its loyalty to President Hamani, following the 1974 coup by President

Seyni Kountche Seyni is a name. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Seyni Garba, Nigerien army general *Seyni Kountché (1931–1987), Nigerien military officer and president *Seyni N'Diaye (born 1973), Senegalese football player *Seyni Oumarou (born ...

, it was restructured to ensure loyalty to Seyni Kountche. During those years, the guard was primarily tasked of protecting the president and was made up of elite soldiers trained by Moroccan officers. After the 1995 peace agreements between the government of Niger and the Touareg rebel groups, it was restructured and renamed to "Forces Nationales d'Interventions and Securite (FNIS)". Ex-rebel members were reinserted into this body as per the terms of the peace agreements. Previously under the authority of

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, the national guard was transferred under the authority of the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

in 2003. Faithful to their tradition, the National Guard remained loyal to President

Tandja Mamadou Mamadou Tandja (1938 – 24 November 2020) was a Nigerien politician who was President of Niger from 1999 to 2010. He was President of the National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD) from 1991 to 1999 and unsuccessfully ran as the MNSD ...

in his attempt to prolong his presidency beyond the constitutional limits of his term. Later, during the 2010 military coup, the National Guard unsuccessfully defended President

. In 2010 and 2011, several government decrees and ordinances proceeded to its reorganization and renaming to the National Guard of Niger.

Mission

The mission of the national guard of Niger is defined by ordinance n°201-61 of October 7, 2010 and consists of: Garde nationale du Niger * monitoring the national territory * maintaining public safety and restoring public order * protecting public buildings, people and their property * participating in defense emergency preparedness * carrying out judiciaries and administrative inquiries * conducting policing duties in rural areas and pastorals * providing honor services for the authorities * providing protection to republican institutions * participating in the operational territorial defense * providing administration, management and monitoring of prisons * participating in development activities in the country (i.e. humanitarian operations) * participating in peacekeeping in international commitments made by the Niger, * protecting the environment * searching and detecting offenses under the criminal laws * providing assistance to administrative authorities and the diplomatic and consular representations of Niger

References

{{Border protection agencies Military of Niger