Niger

Geography, Climate, and Environment
In April 2010, United Nations humanitarian agencies were concerned that the desert nation would face a food crisis, an issue talked about openly by the military junta in power; this was in contrast to the practice under Tandja's rule (1999-2010), when food shortages were a taboo subject.

Government and Politics
Soldiers ousted President Mamadou Tandja on February 18, 2010, after which they promised to restore civilian rule within a year. Tandja, who had been in power since 1999, had caused a political crisis and drew international criticism when he changed the constitution in 2009 in an attempt to harden his powers and extend his term in office. The junta that took over in his place made fighting corruption a priority, but the administration faced pressing food problems throughout the year.

The 2011 election, which was organized by the military junta, resulted in a victory for Mahamadou Issoufou, who was inaugurated on April 7, 2011. Niger remained a Western ally in the fight againstradical Islamist groups, participating in the regional coalition fighting Boko Haram. Throughout the years, Niger failed to secure the southeastern Diffa region, where militants had staged numerous cross-border attacks from Nigeria, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency.

In November 2015, President Issoufou was chosen as a candidate for elections in the coming year, an election he was expected to win as a second five-year term. Political tension was high, with critics accusing him of repression. To appease the demands, the government announced in December it would audit its voter register before the election. Working to consolidate his hold, Niger's government arrested nine military officers on December 19, 2015 for planning a coup, more than doubling the number of arrests reported earlier that week. They had planned to use aerial firepower and had prevented the movement of military assets from the capital to the southern region of Diffa.

Economy
Niger was one of the poorest countries on earth, despite having attracted billions of dollars of investment in its uranium and oil industries, mainly from France and China.