Sabara Bangou is a village in the north of the rural commune (municipality) of
Tondikiwindi
Tondikiwindi is a village and rural commune in Niger.Ouallam Department, Tillabéri Region in southwestern Niger, 180 km north of the nation's capital Niamey and 22 km south of the border with Mali. The village has about 70-75 huts/dwellings, irregularly clustered. There are no roads, just trails that connect to nearby villages such as Soufaré (to the SE, 11.8 km),
Tiloa Tiloa is a town in Niger. On February 23, 2015, 15 soldiers of the Niger Armed Forces
The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches ( Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramili ...
(to the SE, 9.0 km), Diéno Koara (to the SE, 5.0 km),
Tongo Tongo
Tongo Tongo () is a village in the rural commune (municipality) of Tondikiwindi (also ''Tondi Kiwindi''), Ouallam Department, Tillabéri Region in southwestern Niger, 174 km north of the nation's capital Niamey and 28 km south of the b ...
(to the SW, 18.7 km), Sinka Koira (to the SSW, 17.8 km), Gollo (to the SSW, 20.3 km), Gouré Tondi (to the SW, 21.1 km) and Kokorobé Koukou (to the SW, 25.8 km). The population of the commune consists for 99% of the Zarma people (also called Djerma). Most of them own cattle, sheep, goats and dromedaries, renting them out to the Fulani people or Tuareg people for tending. Though arable land is rare and poor, there is also some agriculture, mostly
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
and
sorghum
''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...
. The area is part of the
Sahel
The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...
and consists of a vast expanse of plateaux and hills. The physical environment is in an advanced state of degradation caused by habitat destruction, poaching, and by the viccisitudes of the local climate.
In March 2017 the Government of Niger declared a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
in the Ouallam Department (and thus in Sabara Bangou) because of the spill-over from the war in nearby Mali, where large areas are under the control of jihadist groups linked to
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
. As of fall 2017, many western nations advise against all travel in the Ouallam Department. The U.S. military has been operating in that area with local forces to help them fight terrorism and to disrupt the militants' movements.
Climate
Sabara Bangou has a desert climate. From October to April there is virtually no rainfall. According to Köppen and Geiger, this climate is classified as BWh. The average annual temperature is 29.4 °C. Average annual precipitation is about 245 mm; most of it falls in August, about 102 mm. May is the warmest month of the year; with a 24h temperature average of 34.0 °C and a daily average maximum of 41 °C. January is the coldest month, on average 23.7 °C.See Climate-data.org /ref>