Niger enacts general mobilization ordinance amid heightened Sahel security push

Niger's government on Friday adopted an ordinance authorizing nationwide mobilization, a move that would allow authorities to requisition citizens, property, and services to address internal and external threats.

The decree was approved during a Council of Ministers meeting presided over by Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani and sets out measures for organizing and implementing mobilization across the country.

Under the ordinance, citizens would be required to respond immediately to call-ups, comply with requisitions, report hostile foreign nationals or obstructive activities, and refrain from communications that could undermine mobilization efforts.

Authorities also plan to launch a nationwide civic awareness campaign aimed at strengthening patriotism and clarifying citizens' duties toward the state.

The ordinance is grounded in the country's "Charter of Refoundation" and existing national defense legislation, underscoring the need to protect territorial integrity, sovereignty, the population, and vital state interests amid what authorities describe as escalating threats.

The decision comes as Niger continues to face insurgencies in the Sahel and deepens security cooperation with regional allies.

On Dec. 20, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, formally launched a 5,000-strong joint military force known as the United Force of the AES (FU-AES).

The force was inaugurated at a ceremony in Bamako attended by Mali's leader Assimi Goita. It is commanded by Burkina Faso's Gen. Daouda Traore and headquartered in Niamey.

Designed to conduct joint counterterrorism operations, enhance border security, and improve intelligence sharing, the force marks a step toward collective defense among the three junta-led countries, which have distanced themselves from Western partners and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

While authorities have not announced immediate full mobilization, the new legal framework gives the government the option to escalate quickly if security threats intensify, highlighting the junta's focus on internal cohesion and regional solidarity amid ongoing instability.