Amazigh of Niger
Niger Since the signing of the 1994 peace agreements with the Niamey government, there has been calm on the fighting fronts that were known to be on fire. This created the image of the revolutionary Amazigh in the minds of the world, but many “imagegans” integrated into the ranks of the local armies and security forces, with international funding from the United Nations Development Fund, as well as French cooperation. The last nails of the coffin of struggle were hammered into the sands of Tenere.
Between the demand for autonomy and ethnic genocide, the future of Tamasheq was carved out without clear features. Despite the development of negotiations with the government under the auspices of some concerned countries such as Algeria, Which was, in several scenarios, a second party in igniting the war against the Amazigh tribes in Niger, after which an agreement was reached on expanded decentralization based on self-management of local affairs. However, the obsession with obliterating their Amazigh identity and linking it to Arab and African races, prompted them, with a kind of determination, to coordinate with Activists of the Amazigh cause from Morocco and Algeria... to engage in political action like other Tamazight Amazighs, demanding recognition of their rights as a group with its own privacy and its own language that adopts the Tifinagh letter, and demanding their integration politically and socially to achieve economic and material development, but the neglect and marginalization to which they were exposed by the central government, This is in addition to the grievances resulting from failure In the full implementation of the peace agreements, violence resumed and new uprisings broke out in 2007, in parallel with the rebellion movement that affected northern Mali, in the years 2006/2007/2008..., and peace policies were not fully implemented, but rather those policies were put aside in Mali due to the security agenda that was embodied In the Special Program for Security, Peace and Development in Northern Mali in 2011.
The Amazigh of Niger, in particular, are considered the original inhabitants of the borders of the Sahara in northern Niger for thousands of years, and their traces remain to this day, engraved in Tifinagh on the rocks of the Sahara. They are part of the Amazigh Tuareg in general, and they speak Amazigh to this day.
The Amazighs of Niger have preserved their original cultural identity and their original language, Tamashqat, which they write with the Tifinagh alphabet for hundreds of years, making them one of the rare African peoples who possess a clean alphabet whose existence dates back to three thousand years BC. They have preserved it throughout history until today.
Throughout history, the Amazighs of Niger have established their own ruling systems, most notably the Kingdom of Agadez, which had sovereignty over the north of the country. In 1994, a peace agreement was signed with the Niger government, where they were granted limited autocratic rule.
The Amazigh language of Niger and the Tuareg in general are the only ones among the Amazigh branches that have preserved the roots of Amazigh words that were extinct in some other branches in North Africa, as stated by the linguist Muhammad Shafiq in his Amazigh collection.
The Amazigh of Niger unite politically to defend their rights
Leader of the TARNA movement for the Amazighs of Niger. The Amazighs of Niger recently established an Amazigh political party in Niger to organize and unite activists of the Amazigh issue in Niger, most of whom are university students and intellectuals. It was decided to establish a political party in order to bring together the voice of all activists and associations calling for official recognition of the Amazigh language and its good teaching. In Nigerian schools. According to the Nigerian press, Nigerien Amazigh activists decided to establish this new party to defend their identity, linguistic demands, and legitimate economic rights.
More than three million Amazigh speakers in Niger. Amazighs from Niger express their pride in their Amazigh identity. Nigerien Amazighs speak the original Amazigh language in several regions in northern Niger. They call their language Tamashqit, which is a simple distortion of the word Tamazigh, which means the Amazigh language of the Amazighs of North Africa.
The Amazigh of Niger constitute approximately three million at least, which is the number of Nigeriens who speak Amazigh as their mother tongue so far. They use the ancient Tifinagh letters in writing Amazigh, as well as the Latin letter as well.
The Amazighs of Niger are revolting against marginalization and tyranny
A march of demands for the Amazighs of Niger. The Amazighs of Niger established a human rights movement for justice. It is a movement created and led by the Tuareg Amazighs spread in northern Niger. The movement ignited the second Tuareg revolution in 2007. Which led to military clashes between the movement's militias and government forces in Niger, turning the north of the country into a prohibited military conflict zone and preventing journalists from covering the events of the clashes taking place there.
The movement’s demands are for the government to direct greater investments to the north of the country to advance its development, as it is one of the regions richest in uranium in the world. The movement also demands limiting scouting and prospecting movements for uranium and plundering their land’s wealth without benefiting from it.
The movement is based in the mountainous Ayar Massif region. The movement is led by Agali Alambo, the military wing is led by Al-Maamoun Kalakuwa, and Captain Muhammad Mukhtar is the first deputy leader of the movement. While Operations Commander Kendo Zada holds the position of second deputy leader of the movement, while Issa Felto holds the position of political coordinator and official spokesman for the movement in Europe.
The movement receives support from other liberation movements led by the Amazigh Tuareg tribes spread in the surrounding countries, the most important of which is the May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change, which is a separatist movement led by the Tuareg tribes located in Azawad, Mali.
The Amazighs of Niger cling to their identity and economic rights. Amazigh children in northern Niger. Nigerian Amazigh activists declare their determination more than ever to extract official recognition of their identity and linguistic rights. And the development of their regions, and they hope to support the Amazigh World Congress and build relationships with organizations and movements Which defends the Amazigh culture in North Africa.
It is the wind of Amazigh awareness and freedom blowing to all Tamazgha countries. The wave of freedom is getting stronger. Soldiers defending the Amazigh identity in every country. After Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Azawad in Mali, now the Amazigh people in Niger are restless strongly.
Source: websites