Niger's junta has replaced French with Hausa as the national language, severing ties with France. The new charter, which also designates English and French as working languages, follows the junta's withdrawal from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and consolidates General Abdourahamane Tiani's power for the next five years.

Niger’s military junta has made a significant shift by adopting Hausa as the national language, replacing French, which was previously the official language. This move marks a further distancing from France, the former colonial power. Since the junta ousted civilian president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, relations with France have been severed. French soldiers were expelled, and several streets and monuments bearing French names were renamed in a symbolic break from the colonial past.

A new charter, published in a special edition of the official journal on March 31, states that “the national language is Hausa,” while “the working languages are English and French.”

Niger, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso—also former French colonies now governed by military juntas—has withdrawn from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), an institution created to foster ties among French-speaking countries, similar to the Commonwealth.

Hausa is the predominant language spoken by the majority of Niger’s 26 million people, particularly in the central-southern regions of Zinder and Maradi, and in the western region of Tahoua. While French is spoken by approximately 13 percent of the population, or just over three million people, nine other languages, including Zarma-Songhay, Fula, Kanuri, Gourmanche, and Arabic, have now been designated as the “spoken languages of Niger,” according to the new charter.

The charter’s adoption follows a national conference held in February, which further consolidated the junta's authority. It granted junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani the mandate to remain in power for the next five years.