colony · West Africa
Colony of Niger
Origins
The French conquest of the area began with the Voulet-Chanoine mission of 1899, notorious for massacring villagers, and the occupation of Zinder, capital of the Sultanate of Damagaram. In 1900 France created a military territory, with headquarters first at Zinder. The territory became a colony of French West Africa in 1922, and the capital moved definitively to Niamey in 1926.
Rule and society
French rule was thinly spread over a vast territory of farmers in the south and Tuareg and Toubou herders in the Sahara. Tuareg resistance culminated in the revolt of Kaocen, who besieged Agadez in 1916-1917. Groundnuts became the main cash crop, taxes and forced labour drove migration to Nigeria and Ghana, and education reached very few.
Decline and legacy
After 1946 political parties emerged. Djibo Bakary's Sawaba party campaigned for a no vote in 1958, but Hamani Diori, backed by France, prevailed. Niger became an autonomous republic in December 1958 and independent on 3 August 1960, with Diori as president.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Colony of Niger was a colony of French Empire1900 CE – 1958 CE
- Colony of Niger was part of French West Africa1904 CE – 1958 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Colony of Niger. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-niger
- MLA
- “Colony of Niger.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-niger. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Colony of Niger.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-niger.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Colony of Niger’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-niger (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻