Bani-Bangou is a town in southwestern Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

, in rural northern Ouallam Department

Ouallam Department

Ouallam is a department of the Tillabéri Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Oullam, which is designated an Urban Commune. The department also includes the Rural Communes of Simiri and Tondikiwindi, as well as the towns of Bani Bangou and Dingazi....

, Tillabéri Region. On the main highway from Ouallam

Ouallam

Ouallam is a town in southwestern Niger. It is around 300 km north of Niamey, is the capital of Ouallam Department, one of four in the Tillabery Region.-Culture:...

 on the route to the Malian

Malian

Malian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Mali, a country in West Africa.* A person from Mali or of Malian descent. For information about the Malian people, see Demographics of Mali and Culture of Mali. For specific persons, see List of Malians....

 border town of Andéramboukane

Andéramboukane

Andéramboukane is a small town and one of five Rural Communes in the Ménaka Cercle and Gao Region of Mali. It lies at the extreme east of the nation, several kilometers north of the Nigerien border....

. It is 135km northeast of Ouallam and 70km by road from Mali. It around 200 km cross country from Niamey

Niamey

-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...

. The town is the seat of a "Rural Commune

Communes of Niger

The Departments of Niger are subdivided into communes. As of 2005, in the seven Regions and one Capital Area, there were 36 départements, divided into 265 communes, 122 cantons and 81 groupements...

" of the same name, one of four rural communes in the Department. Nearby villages include Gorou, Bassikwana, and Tondi Tiyaro Kwara to the north; Koloukta and Dinara along the highway west; Ouyé to the southeast.

Bani-Bangou commune lies in the historical region of the Zarmaganda plateau, one of the traditional homes of the Djerma people. The population remains largely Djerma with semi-nomadic Kel Dinnik Tuareg communities.

A poor area on the edge of the Sahara desert, Bani-Bangou was hard hit by rural famine during the 2005–06 Niger food crisis. Land use mapping from 2006 showed the town itself, built along a dry wadi

Wadi

Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...

 running south to the Niger river

Niger River

The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

, to be on the transition line between sahel

Sahel

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....

 grasslands to the south and west, and desert to the north and east.

Recent conflict

On 16 March 2008 Bani Bangou's military post was the site of a rebel attack in the Tuareg Rebellion (2007–present)

Tuareg Rebellion (2007–present)

The Tuareg Rebellion of 2007-2009 was an insurgency that began in February 2007 amongst elements of the Tuareg people living in the Sahara desert regions of northern Mali and Niger. It is only the most recent of a series of insurgencies by formerly nomadic Tuareg populations, which had last...

. It was the closest attack by northern Tuareg MNJ rebels had made to the capital Niamey

Niamey

-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...

. Three Nigerien Armed Forces soldier were killed and one prisoner was seized.

2009 kidnapping

On 22 January, four foreign tourists were reported kidnapped in Mali, north of Bani-Bangou, while traveling by auto from a festival at Anderamboukané

Andéramboukane

Andéramboukane is a small town and one of five Rural Communes in the Ménaka Cercle and Gao Region of Mali. It lies at the extreme east of the nation, several kilometers north of the Nigerien border....

 to the Malian town of Ménaka

Ménaka

Ménaka is a rural commune and town in Menaka Cercle, Gao Region, in the far east of Mali. It is the local government seat and largest town in the Cercle, and one of four rural communes...

, and on to Gao

Gao

Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....

. One Briton

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, one German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and two Swiss citizens were reportedly kidnapped. One of their vehicles escaped the attack, and one which was seized was later found abandoned across the border near Bani-Bangou.