• Niger adopts draft decree to regulate firearm acquisition, possession, and use
• New framework introduces stricter controls, traceability requirements, and eligibility criteria
• Reform responds to rising cross-border threats and escalating terrorist attacks

Niger is reforming its firearms legislation to address evolving security challenges. Authorities consider the existing legal framework, dating back to 1963, as outdated and no longer suited to current threats.

The government adopted a draft decree during a Council of Ministers meeting held on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The decree sets the conditions for issuing authorizations for firearm imports and purchases, as well as permits for possession and carrying.

The draft decree defines the procedures for acquiring firearms and obtaining the required permits. Authorities are introducing stricter controls over weapons circulating within the national territory. The framework requires authorities to assess applicants based on objective criteria, including medical fitness and professional or security-related necessity. Authorities also aim to ensure full traceability of firearms and to clearly establish the responsibility of permit holders.

“The increase in cross-border threats, the resurgence of organized crime, the multiplication of private security actors, and the illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons require a more adapted, modern and deterrent legal framework,” the Council of Ministers said in a statement. The reform comes amid a deteriorating security environment in the region. Niger continues to face recurring terrorist attacks, particularly in the three-border area near Mali and Burkina Faso.

Authorities report that armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara are conducting violent operations in the regions of Tillabéri, Tahoua, and Dosso. In January, an attack in the village of Bosiye, in the commune of Gorouol in Tillabéri region, killed 31 civilians, according to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Niger is implementing broader measures to address the security crisis. Authorities are targeting trans-Saharan trafficking networks, armed groups, and local instability while pursuing stabilization efforts observed since 2023.

Mohamed Toumba, Minister of State for Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration, said authorities have laid the foundations for a more coherent, autonomous, and resilient security strategy. He added that authorities have adopted “an approach based on sovereignty, strategic adaptation and national responsibility,” according to the Niger News Agency.

Lydie Mobio