Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2009 - Niger

In 2007, some 11,000 people were displaced in northern Niger, when the conflict between the government and Tuareg groups intensified following the creation of the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) after a comprehensive peace agreement signed in 1995 had failed to appease the economic and political grievances of Tuaregs. The conflict abated in 2009 with both parties intent on holding talks. Meanwhile, inter-communal clashes between pastoralists and farmers caused significant but little-reported displacement across the country, and especially along the western border with Mali.

IDPs and local communities in areas affected by the MNJ insurgency faced a range of diverse threats to their life and security in 2009. Landmines caused casualties among civilians and also prevented the free movement of civilians and the return of IDPs. The conflict also prevented nomadic groups accessing their traditional pasture areas.

Some 4,500 IDPs started returning between the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. Many returned spontaneously, while in other cases local authorities sought the help of NGOs for transport and reinstallation expenses. However, with a state of emergency in place in the whole region, the available information rarely gave a comprehensive assessment of the situation of either IDPs or returnees.

In 2009, Niger was not among the countries which signed the Kampala Convention. The international humanitarian response was being strengthened with the gradual implementation of the cluster approach in 2009. However, the response has suffered from the lack of access and the impossibility of carrying out comprehensive needs assessments.