Reviving Niger’s tourist industry as it emerges from a period of rebellion was never going to be easy. Three years of Tuareg insurgency in the north of the country bought tourism to this once popular destination to a halt. And just as the worst seemed to be coming to an end, Niger’s president, Mamadou Tandja, was arrested by the military in Niamey, on the very same day journalists and tour operators had gathered in the capital to celebrate the return to more peaceful times.

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Abderrahmane, Tuareg craftsman 

« We have suffered a lot over the past three years. All we can do is hope we’ll sell some jewellery so we have enough to eat.  When the tourists were here I earned more than $100 a day, now I hardly make $2. »

Mohamed, Tuareg driver

« We don’t know what’s going to happen next. One regime has gone and we don’t know who is going to take power or what they will do. Most people were expecting something to happen because there was political deadlock. We’re doing what we can to get things moving and find work, hoping that the tourists will come back. Now the situation is so uncertain I’m afraid we’ve taken another step backwards. »    

Peace treaties were signed last October with the backing of France, the United States, China and Libya - who all have vested interests in the region. It was hoped that peace would bring prosperity: 15% of the annual profits from uranium mining were to be paid to local inhabitants. A financial manna that would have helped build greater stability and, it was hoped, attract tourists thanks to improved air transport.   

Maurice FREUND, CEO Point Afrique

« Tourism may be one of the last ramparts for local inhabitants who, don’t forget, have their sense of pride. We are working on developing exchanges and partnerships to promote the tourist sector. » 

Between 2004 and 2006, more than 15,000 tourists visited the so-called land of the Blue Men. For a while it looked as if the situation could only get better. That was until 2007 when increasing instability in the region drove holidaymakers away.  Well aware of their tourist potential, the Minister of Tourism, before the coup d’état, spared no efforts to revive the Festival of Tuareg Culture in Agadez after a three-year hiatus. 

Sani MOUROU, Niger’s ex- Minister of Tourism

« It was the first festival in three years. Local populations and people like us in tourism administration had high hopes. We were not only looking forward to renewing contact with friends from Niger, we were especially keen to see the return of revenue-generating activities, namely the tourist trade, which help reduce poverty.»        

There were more than a thousand participants at the Aïr Festival with representatives from international media, tour operators, and Tuaregs from across the region. Some families walked for a week to attend the festival.

Among the officials at the festival, the young man in the turban supervises the proceedings. Mayor of a village and owner of a travel agency, Issouf Maha was the spokesman for the Niger Movement for Justice – one of the region’s rebel groups. He has no illusions about the future.  

Issouf MAHA, Former rebel leader, Organiser of the Aïr Festival

«It’s touch and go when you have an economy based on tourism: all it takes is a tiny incident somewhere and everything stops.  We definitely feel very pessimistic about the future. If the various mining projects go ahead as planned there will be water shortages and environmental problems such as pollution. That will be fatal for tourism.  The world needs nuclear energy – what can the Tuareg groups in the desert do about that? Nothing! There is so much at stake: this is about our lives, our very existence here. We’re well aware of that! »   

Just a few hours after the festival ended, the ‘tiny incident’ the former rebel referred to occurred. The country found itself in the grips of a coup d’état and political instability. The guests were hastily brought together and the Tourist Minister did all she could to sound reassuring but the party was clearly over.   

Sani MOUROU, Niger’s ex-Minister of Tourism

« I couldn’t believe it! There was a certain amount of tension but I wasn’t expecting that ! Anyway, you never know what the future holds. The peace process is not threatened : the different factions and ethnic groups have pinned their hopes on it. I think we have to give them our support. Recent events have affected the state structure – not the foundations.»

This may well be wishful thinking from a woman who is determined to keep on fighting. Unlike her colleagues she was not arrested during the Cabinet meeting when the military took power in the capital, Niamey, 1,000 kilometres from Agadez. 

Niger has had three coups d’état since gaining independence in 1960.  There are approximately one and a half million Tuaregs living in five countries south of the Sahara. Conflicts between rival tribes are frequent and neighbouring countries are wary of potential repercussions for the peace process in northern Niger. Despite the spectacular scenery, tour operators are reluctant to take risks, and recent events are hardly going to reassure them.