With no political solution in sight, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warns that Niger’s political crisis could rapidly deteriorate into a humanitarian emergency as attacks by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) continue and sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the country begin to take effect. Meanwhile, 45 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working in the Sahel country, are calling on the international community to introduce humanitarian exemptions to the collective sanctions imposed against Niger.
Since a military coup ousted Niger's democratically elected president on July 26, "there has been a crisis of uncertainty," said Emmanuel Gignac, the UNHCR representative in Niger, on Tuesday.
The military coup in Niger is a serious threat to democracy and stability in the country and the Sahel. The United Nations, the United States, the West African economic bloc ECOWAS, the African Union and the European Union have called for the restoration of Niger’s democratically-elected government and for the release of President Mohamed Bazoum.
ECOWAS has threatened to use military force in the Sahel country to restore the democratically-elected president to power.
"It is difficult to see what will happen," but given the unsettled situation, he said, "the UNHCR and UN agencies are developing contingency plans to be prepared for whatever emergency may arise."
Gignac said violence and attacks by armed groups, especially near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders, have displaced more than 20,000 people in the last month. During the same period, he noted that up to 2,500 refugees, mainly from Mali and Burkina Faso and some from Nigeria, have fled into Niger — a situation that "has heightened protection risks for refugees, asylum-seekers, and their hosts."
Currently, Niger is hosting 700,000 forcibly displaced people; half are refugees and asylum seekers and the other half are internally displaced people.
The UN Refugee Agency said socio-economic strains, including surging inflation and a lack of resources and services, have been compounded by recent movement restrictions, further straining an already vulnerable population. The higher cost of living and insecurity have increased protection risks including early marriage, sexual violence, trafficking and exploitation.
On a visit to Geneva from his post in the capital Niamey, Gignac told journalists Tuesday that Niger’s status as a hub for refugees was in jeopardy.
"It is also a route, a migration route towards North Africa and Libya in particular," he said. "And we do have asylum seekers and people in need of international protection who are mixed with these movements."
Because the borders are closed, he said, it was not clear whether these flows would continue.
"If they do," he said, "they will have to happen in a way that is far more underground than what they used to be. So, this may also lead to more exploitation and abuses."
Additionally, Gignac noted that since the UNHCR established the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in 2017, Niger also has offered protection to more than 4,242 vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees evacuated from Libya.
"Prior to the July 26 coup, an ETM flight from Libya was planned for the fourth quarter," he said. "UNHCR is awaiting approval from authorities for the transfer and will keep monitoring conditions to determine the feasibility of bringing new ETM refugees into the country."
Gignac said the threat of military intervention by ECOWAS, though seemingly unlikely, hung in the air and must be taken seriously. He said he was particularly concerned by the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, which made no exceptions for humanitarian relief. He called for the sanctions to be lifted, warning that the inability to bring sufficient humanitarian aid into the country would have a catastrophic effect.
"The fact that people do not have access to, as they used to have, to food commodities and the scarcity of goods in general will lead to a number of protection risks that will develop," he said. "We are talking about early marriage, sexual violence, trafficking and exploitation."
The UNHCR representative said the sanctions already were creating difficulties as they kicked in during Niger’s so-called "hunger period"—the time before the next harvest when food stocks are at their lowest.
"These factors, with an expected increase in agitation by non-state armed groups, as well as ongoing heavy rains, have worsened the already dire humanitarian outlook for vulnerable populations," he said.
Gignac said the two main non-state actors in Niger were Islamic State militants who operate on the Mali side of the border, and an al-Qaida affiliated group based on a riverbank near Burkina Faso. He added that criminal gangs in the Mali region "enacted similar damage and acts of violence."
The UNHCR, which has a well-developed monitoring system that tracks incidents of abuse, found there to be 255 incidents in July including kidnapping, gender-based violence and domestic violence. The agency blames the incidents on militants and criminal gangs.
"These data are in line with other months of 2023," said Gignac. "UNHCR teams have witnessed a sharp increase in such incidents since July 26" noting that "between July 26 and July 31, we observed a 50 percent increase in similar incidents from the earlier weeks in July."
For now, Gignac said there have been no reports of large movements of people fleeing from Niger to neighboring countries. But given the political crisis, related uncertainties, and the potential for increased inter-communal violence, he said, this could change.
"If there was a military intervention, we know that Nigeria would play a key role in the force," he said, adding that Nigerians comprised nearly two-thirds of the 350,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Niger.
"How would the host community react?" he asked. "On the one hand, generously hosting refugees from Nigeria and on the other hand being a kind of attacker, you know?"
Also on Tuesday, an advocacy brief, signed by 45 international NGOs, suggested three steps that members of the international community should take to preserve Nigerien people’s access to basic social services and humanitarian assistance.
The NGOs called on the international community to “introduce humanitarian exemptions to all the collective sanctions adopted against Niger”, and to "review the sanctions adopted to date by applying the principle of 'Do no harm' to any measure adopted against Niger". The aid agencies also said "creativity, flexibility, and adaptation of financing mechanisms must be demonstrated in order to maintain access to basic social services" for the populations of the Sahel country.
The Sahel is experiencing a multifaceted crisis marked by conflicts, inter-community tensions, climate shocks and insecurity. As Niger is already facing a complex humanitarian situation, violence by non-state armed groups – both in Niger and the neighboring countries Mali and Burkina Faso – threatens security for the civilian population, and aggravates food insecurity.
Persisting insecurity remains the key driver of acute food insecurity. 2.5 million women, men and children are acutely food insecure. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), armed groups, security forces and self-defense militias in recent months were increasingly involved in looting, cattle thefts, kidnapping and targeted killings.
Currently, 4.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Niger. Among them are some 2 million children. More than 360,000 men, women and children are displaced within the county, which also hosts more than 250,000 refugees – mainly from Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso. In addition, there are some 88,000 asylum seekers and other people of concern in Niger.
The Central Sahel country is also faced with a critical funding situation. As of August 30, the UN humanitarian appeal for Niger of US$584 million is only 40 percent funded.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.
Further information
Full text: UNHCR fears an escalating protection crisis in Niger, urges swift action, UNHCR, briefing notes, August 29, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-fears-escalating-protection-crisis-niger-urges-swift-action
Full text: NGO Advocacy Note Niger, Welthungerhilfe, released August 29, 2023
https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/fileadmin/pictures/publications/en/position_papers/2023-advocacy-note-niger-sanctions-humanitarian-exemptions-EN.pdf