Niger: UN, other humanitarian agencies call for special permission to bring in aid

The UN and other humanitarian agencies have appealed to the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, to grant exemptions to the sanctions imposed on Niger following the removal of Mohamed Bazoum by the military junta led by Abdourahmane Tchiani.

The UN said the sanctions are threatening the health of some of the people

Emmanuel Gignac, the UN refugee agency representative for Niger, said

“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.” He said.

He expressed fear that with electricity supplies cut by Nigeria, people are relying increasingly on power generators, but the supply of fuel could be under threat as well.

Mr Gignac added that the head of the UN’s office for humanitarian affairs, has written officially to ECOWAS seeking exemptions.

On its part, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is joining other agencies to call for exemptions, stressing that “exemptions are vital to ensure uninterrupted access to humanitarian assistance services for vulnerable populations, particularly children, in Niger”.

“The clock is ticking, and the lives of Nigerien children are hanging in the balance,” the agency stressed.

Recall that the United Nations announced it is paying more than 20 times the average amount on fuel generators to protect millions of vaccines in Niger from spoiling due to power outages.

The power cuts are the result of severe economic and travel sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, following the overthrow of the country’s president last month by the Abdourahmane Tchiani-led junta.

Sanctions by the ECOWAS and the junta’s closure of the airspace have also blocked products from entering the nation, jeopardizing medical equipment and food supplies.

According to a UNICEF statement, the organization has 50 containers containing vaccines, cold chain equipment, and therapeutic food stopped at several entrance ports and unable to enter the country.