The Gendarmerie Nationale (Gendarmerie Nationale Nigérienne) is the national paramilitary police force of Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

. One of two paramilitary police units of the nation, the Gendarmerie Nationale is modeled on the Gendarmerie

Gendarmerie

A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...

 of former colonial power, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Its purpose is to provide police protection outside of urban areas, patrolled by the National Police (Police Nationale).

Structure

The Gendarmerie Nationale is a centrally controlled 3,700 member paramilitary police force that provides police across Niger modeled on the French Gendarmerie

Gendarmerie

A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...

. It is uniformed, ranked and trained in military fashion. It provides policing outside those jurisdictions policed by the Police Nationale, usually smaller towns and rural areas. The GN falls under the Armed Forces of Niger, and is commanded by the "Haut commandant de la Gendarmerie Nationale" ("High Commandant of the GN"), in 2008 Colonel Harouna Djibo Hamani.

Training

In 2009, the National Gendarmarie School ("L'école nationale de la Gendarmerie") at Koira Tagui in Niamey

Niamey

-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...

 had a class of 1000, of whom 70 were women. The school's first class at this location is 2009, after moving from the Military Training Academy ("Formation au centre d'instruction") at Camp Tondibiah Army Base in Niamey.

Division of powers

The PN also includes their own paramilitary wing, the Nigerien Internal Security Forces (Forces nigerienne d'internale securite- FNIS), which, with the GN, provides security for government officials and sites and control of large scale civil disorder. The FNIS also conducts military missions in time of armed conflicts, patrols borders, and is armed and trained in military fashion similar to the Internal Troops

Internal Troops

The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...

 of the nations of the former Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. When the Police Nationale was moved to the Nigerien Interior Ministry in 2003, the FNIS fell under their jurisdiction, while the Gendarmerie remained under the Nigerien Ministry of Defense.

Specialised units

The GN includes police patrol and institutional security units, as well as specialised units, including a Niamey Motorcycle Unit (Peloton de sécurité routière de Niamey) for traffic and VIP escort duty, a Telecommunications section (Division Télécommunication de la Gendarmerie), and a nautical unit (Gendarmerie Fluviale). In 2008, the GN acquired three patrol boats from France to conduct riverine patrols, creating three "Brigade Fluviale" in Niamey

Niamey

-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...

, Tillaberi

Tillabéri

Tillabéri is a town in northwest Niger. It is situated 120 km northwest of the capital Niamey on the River Niger. It is an important market town and administrative center, it is capital of the department of Tillabéri and Tillabéri Region. The town had a population of over 16000 at the 2001 census...

, and Gaya

Gaya, Niger

Gaya is a city in the Dosso Region of Niger. The city is situated 254 km southeast of the capital, Niamey, is located on the banks of the Niger River, and is near the borders with Benin and Nigeria. Gaya has a population of 28,385 . The wettest area in Niger, Gaya averages 800 mm in...

.

Cultural sponsorships

The Gendarmerie Nationale sponsors a semi-professional football club, Union Sportive de la Gendarmerie Nationale, which plays in the Niger Premier League

Niger Premier League

The Niger Premier League is the highest division in football in Niger. The league's first year of operation was 1966.-Structure:...

.