Nigerien refugees influx into Nigeria looms, as ECOWAS sanctions bite harder – UN

Political crisis arising from the forceful takeover of government by the military on July 26 and the attendant economic sanctions imposed on the country by member states of the sub-regional body now threaten to create uncertainty for millions of vulnerable displaced Nigeriens, according to the United Nations.

Nigeria shares direct land borders stretching across of Kebbi and Zamfara, as well as Katsina and Sokoto states with the Niger Republic, and an influx of millions of Nigerien refugees into the country has become a threat.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) further warned that restrictions on humanitarian operations limiting aid and protection risks creating a major refugee crisis in the country.

It would be recalled that last week, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned that millions there could fall further into severe food insecurity due to the impact of sanctions, as 3.3 million currently face severe food insecurity.

Another 7.3 million, who were already facing moderate food insecurity prior to the crisis, are now at risk of falling deeper into hunger.

Addressing a press conference, Tuesday, the UNHCR’s representative in Niger, Emmanuel Gignac, said sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following last month’s military takeover did not include any exemptions for humanitarian aid.

Gignac observed that food and commodity prices, already climbing before this crisis, jumped after sanctions were introduced.

Already, the UN body disclosed that an exemptions request for relief supplies to Niger Republic has been submitted to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The UN noted that sanctions on Niger were blocking vital humanitarian aid such as food and medicine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative for Niger, Emmanuel Gignac, stated this at a press briefing during a visit to Geneva.

According to Reuters, trucks with food and humanitarian aid have been piling up at Niger’s land borders since a military coup on July 26, driving up food prices, in a sign of the impact of the sanctions.

The blockade is designed to pressure the junta to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to office.

“There is no way to bring humanitarian aid into the country. The immediate goods (affected) is going to be food and then it’s going to be access to medicine, to drugs,” said Gignac, who added that a formal letter from the UN Aid Chief, Martin Griffiths, had been addressed to ECOWAS for exemptions.

“If humanitarians are unable to bring in food and medical assistance, the effects may be “catastrophic”, he warned.

Moreover, the security situation, fuel shortages and disruptions to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) have seriously impacted aid workers’ mobility, keeping them from reaching those most in need.

Gignac also voiced concern for the impact of the sanctions on electricity supply “we are almost constantly on generators, and consuming a lot of fuel” he said, indicating the inevitable impact on fuel supply in months to come.

The ongoing political crisis, with no clear solution in sight, is generating uncertainty and concern as Niger continues to experience repeated attacks by non-State armed groups, especially near the Mali and Burkina Faso borders, said UNHCR.

Recent violence has led to an extra 20,000 newly displaced in the last month according to Mr. Gignac, who noted that an increase in security incidents over the past few weeks has heightened protection risks for refugees, asylum-seekers and their hosts.

For example, in July UNHCR monitored 255 protection incidents including kidnapping, gender-based violence and domestic violence.

Witnessing a sharp increase since the military takeover, between 26 and 31 July, the agency recorded a 50 per cent increase in similar incidents compared with earlier in the month.

Mr. Gignac said that the crisis also coincides with the lean season, an infamously “fragile period” marking the transition between agricultural season – as flooding continues to affect thousands since July.

“We have an atmosphere of uncertainty,” he said, recalling his time in Niamey, Niger.

According to UNHCR there are some 700,000 forcibly displaced people in the country. Half of them internal, while the other half are refugees and asylum seekers mainly from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Referencing the recent update to UNHCR’s contingency planning, Gigrac warned that the current humanitarian response couldn’t address any new shocks, such as the sudden movement of tens of thousands of new refugees, and any resulting humanitarian needs.

UNHCR has therefore called on States to consider a sanction exemption mechanism, particularly amidst restrictions on movement and rising food and commodity prices.

Gignac stressed that UNHCR’s stocks of essential items, catering for about 5,000 families, are only expected to last for three to five months.

He also expressed concern over access to medicine and healthcare, urging the continuation of health services, traditionally provided by the government, despite the sanctions.

According to the UN, ongoing political instability aggravated by the military intervention, is likely to exacerbate already large and complex humanitarian needs in Niger where over 4.3 million people require humanitarian assistance this year alone.

UNHCR’s $135.7 million appeal for Niger however, remains only 39 per cent funded.

Gignac further disclosed that UN aid flights have also been grounded because they cannot get access to jet fuel because of the sanctions, complicating aid efforts in the giant country.

A UN children’s agency spokesperson said UNICEF has some 50 containers with immunization, cold chain equipment and therapeutic food stuck at different entry points, unable to get into the country, while more than a million doses of yellow fever and rotavirus vaccines cannot be flown in from Europe due to the airspace closure.

He added that the agency was concerned about some 28 million vaccine doses stocked inside the country, with 95 per cent of warehouses currently hit by power outages.

Gignac also voiced concerns about the security of Niger’s population, especially among its 700,000 forcibly displaced people, describing a sharp increase in protection incidents such as kidnapping and sexual violence since the coup.