As one of the world's poorest nations, Niger fields a roughly 5,300-strong military that appears to be inadequate, considering the size of the country as well as the mission profile. However, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are jointly shoring up the country's ailing economy, are opposed to any diversion of scarce resources from development into defense. The lack of funds means that the country is heavily reliant on foreign assistance, which at one time came mostly from France but now comes increasingly from the United States.
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