The Kanem-Bournou Empire, one of the largest in Africa at the end of the 16th century, thanks to the leadership of Idriss Alaoma, included Kanem, extended as far as Kaouar and the Aïr and eastwards as far as Ouaddaï (Chad). After resisting Songhaï's ambitions in the 14th century, and later in the 19th century, repulsing the attacks of the Fulani settled in the north (present-day Nigeria), it finally fell in 1893, after a ten-century existence, under the onslaught of Rabah who dreamed of carving himself a kingdom between Sudan and Chad.

There were also a number of smaller Hausa kingdoms between the Songhaï and the Bornou, each independent and each forming a prosperous center of trade and learning. From the 13th century on, there were receptive to Islam and adopted Arabic writing. In spite of internal quarrels, they were all able to resist attacks by the Songhaï and Bornou, despite the latter's better military organization. They were finally unified and Islamicized in the 19th century by the Fulani, led by Ousmane Dan Fodio.

These empires have now disappeared because of the exploration and colonization of the African continent.

Principal explorers in Niger were:

·    Mungo Park (British), 1805-1819

·    Heinrich Barth (German), 1850-1855

·    Nachtigal (German), 1870

·    Lt.-Col. Monteil (French), 1891-1892

The conquest of Niger was accomplished by soldiers rather than by civilians, which resulted in the French presence in large tracts of commercially useless land, whereas Britain, whose military expeditions in West Africa were largely devoted to trade considerations, obtained much smaller but more commercially valuable areas.

There was ethnic resistance to this conquest, particularly in the north where the Tuareg revolt took place in the Aïr from 1916-1919. All the resistance movements were defeated by the armed superiority of the invaders. In 1900, Niger became a military territory and then a French colony in 1922. Its first capital was Zinder (capital of the Damagaroun region), but in 1927, the Colonial Administration decided to transfer its headquarters to Niamey.

Niger colonial history and development paralleled that of other French West African territories. French West Africa was administered from Paris through a Governor General in Dakar, Senegal and Governors in the individual territories, including Niger. The French Constitution of 1946, in addition to conferring citizenship on the inhabitants of the territories, provided for a certain decentralization of power, and limited participation in political life to local advisory assemblies.

A further revision in the organization of overseas territories began with the passage of the Overseas Reform Act (framework law) of July 23, 1956, which was followed by reorganizational measures voted by the French Parliament in early 1957.

In addition to removing the remaining voting equalities, these laws provided for the creation of governmental organs assuring individual territories some degree of self-government.

On December 4, 1958, after the establishment of the Fifth Republic, Niger became an autonomous Republic within the French community (similar to the British Commonwealth). Niger became an independent Republic on August 3, 1960. According to a Constitution adopted on November 8, 1960, the Republic had a President and National Assembly, elected for five years.

That Constitution was suspended by the military government headed by Lt.- Col. Seyni Koutché who took power on April 15, 1974 in a coup against Diori Hamani, President since Independence.

President Seyni Koutché died on November 10, 1987 at la Pitié-Salpetrière Hospital in Paris, where he had been admitted for brain tumor treatment. Colonel Ali Saibou, who was previously Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces was then elected to run the country.

After a National Conference (July-October 1991), a new Constitution was drafted which led to multiparty elections in 1992, with delegates from several parties winning seats in the National Assembly. Presidential elections in March 1993 brought Mahamane Ousmane to power. He was in turn ousted in a coup by Col. Ibrahim Baré Mainassara in 1996. Baré was then assassinated in April 1999 and succeeded by the current President, H. E. Mamadou Tandja, who was democratically elected in November 1999.