Beyond The ‘Wild West’: The Gold Rush in Northern Niger

In April 2014, someone discovered a ‘gift from God’ in northern Niger: large quantities of gold, easily accessible using basic equipment. The gold rush began, and with it came a transformation of the security, political, and socio-economic dynamics in this vast and sensitive region. The population suddenly increased fifty-fold, and the number of vehicles circulating in the region grew even more than that. The tales told by locals about this gold rush evoke the storied ‘Wild West’ of the United States in the 19th century, describing a vast, lawless country controlled by armed men, where the only aim was to get rich.

A Briefing Paper from the Small Arms Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project—Beyond the ‘Wild West’: the Gold Rush in Northern Niger, by Mathieu Pellerin—identifies the different parties involved in the gold rush and explains the outcomes of their ad hoc interactions. It also looks at the effects of the gold rush on the region, including changes to the security situation, the economy, and the political order, as well as broader implications for Niger as a whole.

Available in:  ARABIC | ENGLISH | FRENCH

• Learn more about the SANA project

Have your say about Small Arms Survey resources: take 5 minutes to fill out our questionnaire.