UN humanitarian operations ‘on hold’ in Niger
United Nations, United States (AFP):
UN humanitarian operations have been suspended in Niger due to a coup in the troubled Sahel country, a spokesman said Thursday.
The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Niger rose precipitously from 1.9 million in 2017 to 4.3 million in 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
And the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity is expected to reach three million during the lean season (June to August), before the next harvest, it said.
OCHA “is telling us that humanitarian operations are currently on hold, given the situation,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Niger’s armed forces chief on Thursday declared his support for troops who said they had overthrown the government, despite President Mohamed Bazoum’s defiant stand.
The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where since 2020 a rampaging insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Niger, a nation of 22 million, is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index, a benchmark of prosperity.
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