Brief
Fact Sheet: Military Coup in Niger
Niger has experienced growth in jihadist activity with notable political violence trends in recent years.
Key Trends
- Niger has experienced continuous growth in jihadist activity since 2018, with a record year for violence in 2021 measured by fatalities
- While the number of political violence incidents increased further in 2022, the lethality of the violence has steadily declined, with a significant overall decrease in fatalities last year
- In the first six months of 2023, political violence decreased by an estimated 39% when compared to the previous six-month period from July to December 2022
- Attacks on civilians decreased by 49%, and resulting fatalities decreased by 16%
- Operations by the Nigerien security forces increased by 32%, however, as part of a continuous effort to counter insecurity
- Cases of looting and property destruction were the most common type of incident during this period, suggesting that militant groups like IS Sahel and JNIM increasingly see Niger as a key target for resource extraction
- The western Tillaberi region is the most affected by conflict, although there has been a notable geographic shift from the north to the west
