Editing Niger (section)

==== National Conference and Third Republic (1991–1996) ====
The National Sovereign Conference of 1991 brought about multi-party democracy. From 29 July to 3 November, a national conference gathered together all elements of society to make recommendations for the future direction of the country. The conference was presided over by Prof. [[André Salifou]] and developed a plan for a [[transitional government]]; this was then installed in November 1991 to manage the affairs of state until the institutions of the Third Republic were put into place in April 1993. After the National Sovereign Conference, the transitional government drafted a constitution that eliminated the previous single-party system of the 1989 Constitution and guaranteed more freedoms. The new constitution was adopted by a [[1992 Nigerien constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 26 December 1992.<ref>Walter S. Clarke, "The National Conference Phenomenon and the Management of Political Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa," in ''Ethnic Conflict and Democratization in Africa'', ed. Harvey Glickman. Atlanta: African Studies Assoc. Press, (1995) {{ISBN|0-918456-74-6}}</ref> Following this, presidential [[1993 Nigerien parliamentary election|elections]] were held and [[Mahamane Ousmane]] became the first president of the Third Republic on 27 March 1993.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/><ref name="auto1"/> Ousmane's presidency saw four government changes and legislative [[1995 Nigerien parliamentary election|elections]] in 1995, and an economic slump.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/>

The violence in Agadez Region continued during this period, prompting the Nigerien government to sign a truce with Tuareg rebels in 1992 which was ineffective owing to internal dissension within the Tuareg ranks.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> Another rebellion, led by dissatisfied [[Toubou]] peoples claiming that, like the Tuareg, the Nigerien government had neglected their region, broke out in the east of the country.<ref name="H-Dictionary"/> In April 1995 a peace deal with a Tuareg rebel group was signed, with the government agreeing to absorb some former rebels into the military and, with French assistance, help others return to a productive civilian life.<ref>{{cite book|title=Niger Foreign Policy and Government Guide |date=2007 |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |isbn=9781433036873 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwInUH18i8wC&q=The+niger+agreed+to+absorb+some+of+the+former+rebels+into+the+military+and%2C+with+French+assistance%2C+to+help+others+return+to+a+productive+civilian+life.&pg=PA28 |language=en}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>