Diffa Arabs ( ar, عرب الديفا) (also known as Mahamid Arabs) is the

Nigerien 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 largest ...

name given to

Arabicized Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, aft ...

nomadic tribespeople living in eastern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesDiffa Region Diffa is one of the seven Regions of Niger, located in the southeast of the country. The capital of the region is Diffa. Geography Diffa Region is situated in the extreme southeast of Niger between 10° 30’ and 15° 35’ longitude East and 1 ...

. In 2006, approximately 150,000 and accounting for less than 1.5% of the Niger's population, the Diffa Arabs are said to be the westernmost dispersion of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

speaking Sudanese nomads, primarily drawn from the Mahamid sub clan of the

Rizeigat The Rizeigat, or Rizigat, or Rezeigat (Standard Arabic Rizayqat) are a Muslim and Arab tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara (Standard Arabic Baqqara) people in Sudan's Darfur region. The Rizeigat belong to the greater Baggara Arabs fraternity of ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Movement into Niger

The Nigerien Arab populations include groups drawn from the Shoa or

Baggara Arabs The Baggāra ( ar, البَقَّارَة "heifer herder") or Chadian Arabs are a nomadic confederation of people of mixed Arab and Arabized indigenous African ancestry, inhabiting a portion of the Sahel mainly between Lake Chad and the Nile ri ...

, the first clans of whom are believed to have arrived in what is now Niger sometime in the 19th century. Small groups of the Ouled Sliman tribe, overrunning the

Kanem Empire Kanem may refer to: * Kanem–Bornu Empire, existed in modern Chad and Nigeria known to Arabian geographers from the 9th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900 * Kanem Prefecture, of former prefectures of Chad * ...

, filtered into the area between the late 19th century and 1923, joining with those Shoa pastoralists who were already centered in Tintouma area. In the 1950s, a small number of Kanem– Chadian Arabs moved into the area, but the population remained small. Later in the mid 1970s, there were only around 4000 nomadic Arabs in eastern Niger. But following the 1974 Sahelian Drought a much larger population of Sudan Arab clans began to move into Niger, followed by others fleeing the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and the Chadian-Libyan conflict in the 1980s, settling near

Diffa Diffa is a city and Urban Commune in the extreme southeast of Niger, near the border with Nigeria. It is the administrative seat of both Diffa Region, and the smaller Diffa Department.Geels, Jolijn, (2006) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Niger'', pgs. ...

. The first president of Niger who is an ethnic Diffa Arab is

Mohamed Bazoum Mohamed Bazoum ( ar, محمد بازوم), is a Nigerien politician who is the current List of heads of state of Niger, president of the Republic of Niger. He has been in office since 2 April 2021. Before becoming President, he served as the ...

in office since 2021.

Tensions with neighbors

Many in the Diffa Arab community fought against the

1990s Tuareg rebellion Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

, and in recent years, have come into increased conflict with

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

, Kanuri, and

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

communities. News reports quote Nigerien officials during the 2001 census reporting that Arab communities were in constant conflict with their neighbors over resources, were armed, and that "A relative unanimity prevails among the population who want them to leave the area".

Diffa Arabs expulsions, 2006

In October 2006,

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesmilitary of Niger The Niger Armed Forces (french: Forces armées nigériennes) (FAN) includes military armed force service branches ( Niger Army and Niger Air Force), paramilitary services branches ( National Gendarmerie of Niger and National Guard of Niger) a ...

had seized their livestock, their only means of livelihood.'I have nowhere to go'
, Fiacre Vidjigninou, 24News (South Africa) 31 October 2006.

References

* James Decalo. Historical Dictionary of Niger. Scarecrow Press/ Metuchen. NJ - London (1979)

External links

* Getty Images photos of Diffa Arab men facing expulsion from Niger, 2006
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{{Ethnic groups in Niger Nigerien Arabs African nomads Chadian–Libyan conflict Sahara Baggara tribes Sudanese diaspora