Abala is a department of the

Tillabéri Region Tillabéri (var. ''Tillabéry'') is one of the seven regions of Niger. The capital of the region is Tillabéri. Tillabéri Region was created in 1992, when Niamey Region was split, with Niamey and its immediate hinterland becoming a new ''capital ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

. The department is located in the south-west of the country and borders

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. Its administrative seat is the city of Abala. As of 2012, the department had a total population of 144,287 people.

History

The department goes back to the administrative post (poste administratif) of Abala, which was established in 1964. In 2011, the administrative post was separated from the department of Filingué and elevated to the department of Abala. As a result of the conflict in northern Mali, the government of Niger declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

in the department of Abala and six other departments in March 2017, which was subsequently extended several times.

Municipalities

Abala Department is divided into two municipalities, listed with population as of 2012 census: * Abala (75,821) * Sanam (68,466)

Notes

Departments of Niger Tillabéri Region {{Niger-geo-stub