SUMMARY

Niger has seen intermittent fighting since 1991, with three different conflicts taking place; one over the countrys type of political system and two over the status of two different geographical regions; the one fought over Aïr and Azawad in focus here. In 1993 the umbrella group CRA was established. Based among the nomadic Touareg population, the group demanded autonomy for the northern Aïr and Azawad region. Launching attacks through 1994, the rebels eventually entered into negotiations and signed two subsequent peace accords.

IN DEPTH

Background to the conflict

The Tuaregs are a pastoral, nomadic people, scattered among a number of West- and North African states. In Niger, they only make up roughly 10% of the total population, but in the northern, desert, regions of the country - specifically Aïr and Azawad - they constitute a clear majority. Since independence, the group has been physically, politically, economically and socially separated from the country's centre of power in the south. Other ethnic groups have dominated all governments since independence, subordinating the Tuaregs in numerous ways, for instance by prohibiting the use of their language.

In the mid-1970s and onward, large numbers of young Tuaregs from both Mali and Niger emigrated to Libya and Algeria due to severe droughts. The ones who ended up in Libya received military training, as General Quaddafi incorporated some into his regular military forces and inducted others into a Libyan-sponsored "Islamic Legion". The "Islamic Legion" was subsequently dispatched to Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan, where numerous Tuaregs acquired considerable combat training. When the economic situation in the host countries deteriorated in the late 1980s, the Tuaregs were forced to leave and return to their home countries. The Nigerien government promised resettlement aid for returnees, but this never materialised. This, together with historical grievances, a repressive political climate and newly received military capabilities, led to tensions between returning Tuaregs and the Nigerien armed forces. These tensions eventually took the expression of two armed conflicts, one over government (the political system) and one over territory. (For more information on the conflict over government, see the Niger section in the database).

The conflict over government was the first to materialise, as the FLAA (Front de libération de lAïr et lAzaouad, Air and Azawad Liberation Front) in 1991 challenged the government, calling for the creation of a federal system. As a coalition of a number of groups that had originally fought in the conflict over government, the CRA (Coordination de la résistance armée, Coordination of the Armed Resistance) was created in September 1993 and engaged in an armed conflict in 1994. As the CRAs stated aim was to achieve autonomy for the Aïr and Azawad regions in northern Niger, the incompatibility had changed from concerning the whole country to simply focus on Aïr and Azawad. Thus, instead of a conflict over governmental power a conflict over territory had erupted.

The emergence of CRA in 1993

In October 1993 a number of groups that had previously fought in the conflict over governmental power (see the Niger section in the database) joined together and established the coalition group CRA (Coordination de la résistance armée, Coordination of the Armed Resistance). Vying for autonomy for Aïr and Azawad, the new group began launching attacks in early 1994. Inferior in both equipment and numbers, the rebels used classic guerrilla warfare, relying largely on the element of surprise and their intimate knowledge of the terrain. The government troops, in turn, retaliated with attacks that claimed the lives of many civilians.

In June 1994 negotiations between the CRA and the government began in Paris. France served as mediator, together with Algeria and Burkina Faso. After the talks, the government agreed in principle to meet the CRA demands for autonomy for Tuareg regions, which would be governed by elected assemblies and governors. In October, the negotiations resumed in Ouagadougou, this time centering on the creation of elected assemblies for Tuareg regions, the rehabilitation and security of areas affected by the violence, and the resettlement of refugees. The talks led to the signing of the Ouagadougou agreement on 9 October 1994.

Internal tensions made the CRA umbrella organisation collapse in early 1995. In March, an understanding between the former CRA member groups was reached, and a new coalition, ORA (Organisation de la résistance armée, Organisation of the Armed Resistance) was created, giving more autonomy to the member groups than its predecessor. Differences regarding a new peace agreement, as well as personal rivalries made one of its founding groups, FLT (Front de libération de Tamoust, Tamoust Liberation Front), withdraw from ORA in June 1995. Together with four other dissident groups, it created a new and revived CRA. Thus, in mid 1995, two large Tuareg blocs had been created.

Following further negotiations in March and April, between the government and the newly created ORA, a comprehensive peace agreement was signed in Niamey on 24 April 1995. This agreement essentially confirmed the provisions of the Ouagadougou agreement and also provided for the creation of a special committee, charged with implementing the accord. Subsequently, negotiations on the implementation was initiated in October 1995, and continued, often amidst great difficulties, throughout the following years.