African Environmental and Human Security in the 21st Century By ...

revenue, but uranium's value soon plunged, causing huge deficits. These economic woes contributed to political unrest, which further reduced external aid.⁶⁶

Interestingly, a Boston Globe article noted the typical images the West receives as a result of a devastated African economy—bloated bellies, dying children, and rampant diseases—but added, “To define Niger in such terms does grievous injury to the larger reality of a robust, life-affirming, and religiously tolerant people.”⁶⁷ This is a key point, perhaps related to the question we first asked: why is Niger seemingly more peaceful than the rest of the Sahel region? However, one of the potential threats to Niger is the influence of northern Nigeria's political and extremist Islamic practices on the southern border region of Niger. For example, as mentioned earlier, some Nigerien women who live in the south have been told by radicals that any vaccination attempts are really attempts by the West to sterilize their children.⁶⁸ Clearly, such fallacies are detrimental to society and its subsequent political and socioeconomic development. The subjugation of women as a result of radical Islam further hinders development.⁶⁹ Thankfully, Niger, due to its history and culture, is not necessarily widely susceptible to such radical influences.

While people we spoke with noted that there are more women wearing head covers, Islam was still described as “soft.” William F. S. Miles describes a key difference between Islam in Nigeria and Niger: “Unlike Nigeria, Islam in Niger does not serve as an identity marker for parts of the population who wish to gain status, prestige, power, or wealth over other regions.”⁷⁰ The form of Islam emanating from Nigeria is known as Izala. It is a more decentralized, radical form of Islam. Most Nigeriens follow a Sufi form of Islam known as Tijanyya, which is more hierarchical and adaptive to the local cultural practices.⁷¹ Why this difference in Islamic practices between Niger and the bordering state of Nigeria?

In Niger, the Sufi form of Islam coexists with several different forms of Islam, though in 1990, it was the most prevalent form under the Association Islamique du Niger, a government-sanctioned organization. Since the 1990s, there has been a proliferation of associations. The most notable association is the Jama’at izalat al-bid’a wa Iqamat as-Sunna.