Dabaga is a town and rural commune in the Agadez Region of northern Niger.[1] The town is situated around 50 kilometers north of the regional capital, Agadez, on the main road leading north into the Aïr Mountains and the town of Elmeki. Like the nearby communities of Azel, Elmeki and Egandawel, Dabaga is an oasis in the Aïr Massif valleys, populated by both sedentary and semi-nomadic Tuaregs and small numbers of Hausa and other groups. According to the census 2012, Dabaga had a permanent population of 23,969, mostly families of Tuareg pastoralists, where the adult males traveled with their herds.[2]
Dabaga | |
|---|---|
  Dabaga Location in Niger | |
| Coordinates: 17°16′N 08°06′E / 17.267°N 8.100°E | |
| Country |  Niger |
| Region | Agadez Region |
| Department | Tchirozérine Department |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,232 km2 (1,248 sq mi) |
| Population (2012 census) | |
• Total | 23,969 |
| • Density | 7.4/km2 (19/sq mi) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Though a village with a long history, Dabaga was officially designated the chief place of its own "Rural Commune" in 2002.[3] It is one of five communes in the Tchirozérine Department.[4]
2007–2008 violence
editDramatically affected by unrest in 2007–2008, Dabaga was briefly a center for a Doctors without borders project, which was forced out at the end of October 2007 due to attacks from unknown assailants.[5]
In early 2008, Amnesty international alleged the civilian population had suffered repeated attacks by the Nigerien military, who suspect the residents of supporting Niger Movement for Justice (Mouvement des Nigériens pour la justice, MNJ) rebels in the ongoing Second Tuareg Rebellion. Amnesty reported that the village head, among others, had been murdered by Nigerien armed forces.[6]
References
edit- ^ Loi n° 2002-014 du 11 JUIN 2002 portant création des communes et fixant le nom de leurs chefs-lieux[permanent dead link]. Includes list of 213 communes rurales and seats, 52 Communes urbaines and seats
- ^ A diary from the world's poorest country, Niger: Day Three - Dabaga Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. UNICEF News item 24 April 2007
- ^ REPUBLIQUE DU NIGER, Loi n° 2002-014 du 11 JUIN 2002: portant création des communes et fixant le nom de leurs chefs-lieux[permanent dead link].
- ^ UNDP Background on proposed Dabaga based development project[permanent dead link], 2007.
- ^ Following armed attack Médecins Sans Frontières MSF halts activities in Dabaga Niger Archived 2011-08-09 at the Wayback Machine. Paris, Niamey, 24 October 2007
- ^ Niger: Executions and forced disappearances follow army reprisals, 3 April 2008.
See also: republicain-niger: April 2008
- Falling Rain.com: Dabaga Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine.