Editing Niger Armed Forces (section)

== Paramilitary forces ==
There are two paramilitary services branches: ([[National Gendarmerie of Niger]] under the [[Ministry of Defense (Niger)|Ministry of Defense]] and the [[National Guard of Niger]]) under the [[Ministry of Interior (Niger)|Ministry of Interior]]. Each of these branches are headed by Chief of Staff answerable to the overseeing ministry.

=== National Gendarmerie ===
{{Main|Gendarmerie Nationale (Niger)|l1=National Gendarmerie of Niger}}
The National Gendarmerie is commanded by the Superior Commander of the National Gendarmerie. Unlike the National Police and the National Guard, the National Gendarmerie is under the control of the Ministry of Defense of Niger. It is divided between territorial brigades and mobile brigades. In addition to territorial defense and maintaining public order, it provides military and paramilitary justice to other corps of the armed forces and participates to the judicial and the surveillance police activities. It is regarded as an elite force due to its stringent recruitment criteria of all armed forces. Due to increasing cross-border traffic of weapons and drugs, its activities have increased border areas. The national gendarmerie, unlike the Army or the National Guard, has never been directly involved in an attempt to seize or control power by force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dcaf.ch/Publications/Security-Sector-Governance-in-West-Africa |title=DCAF - Publications - Security Sector Governance in West Africa |access-date=2014-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714215853/http://www.dcaf.ch/Publications/Security-Sector-Governance-in-West-Africa |archive-date=2014-07-14 }} Gouvernance du secteur de la sécurité en Afrique de l’Ouest: les défis à relever – Le Niger</ref>

=== National Guard ===
{{Main|National Guard of Niger}}
Formerly known as the National Forces of Intervention and Security, the National Guard of Niger is responsible for security in rural areas where the national police is absent. It is overseen by the superior commander of the National Guard who reports to the Ministry of Interior. This body is responsible for: border and territorial surveillance of the country, public safety, maintaining and restoring of order, protecting public buildings and institutions, people and their property, the execution of the administrative police in rural and pastoral areas, management and monitoring of prisons, humanitarian actions in the case of national disaster or crisis and protection of the environment. It is also responsible for providing security to administrative authorities and the diplomatic and consular representations of Niger abroad.<ref name="unicef2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.ibcr.org/editor/assets/NIGER%20etat_int_epr3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213622/http://www.ibcr.org/editor/assets/NIGER%20etat_int_epr3.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-14 }} Etats de lieux de la formation des forces de defense et de securité sur le droit de l’enfant au Niger</ref>