Dosso Region
Southwestern border region facing JNIM expansion and closed Benin border disrupting trade and food security, while traditional agriculture sustains livelihoods.
Dosso Region occupies Niger's southwestern corner, bordering Nigeria and Benin—a geography that makes it both an agricultural producer and an emerging security concern. The region historically focused on rain-fed agriculture: millet, sorghum, and cowpeas sustain smallholders when rains cooperate. Cross-border trade with Nigeria supplements local production. However, the security situation deteriorated through 2024: JNIM (al-Qaeda's Sahel affiliate) significantly expanded operations in southern Dosso along the Benin and Nigeria borders, while Islamic State Sahel (ISGS) consolidated presence in the region's north. The closed Benin border—maintained by the junta since the 2023 coup—disrupts traditional trade routes and prevents food imports that stabilize prices. This creates food security stress: prices rose as Nigerian and Beninese cereals that normally flow into Niger became unavailable. The region's relative proximity to Niamey provides some economic connection to the capital, but also makes it a buffer zone where militant groups probe toward the center. By 2026, Dosso's trajectory depends on whether the Benin border reopens, whether JNIM expansion can be contained, and whether agricultural production remains viable as climate variability intensifies and security constrains farming.