UN Seeks to Ease Sanctions on Niger

United Nations officials stated today, Tuesday, that the sanctions imposed on Niger are hindering the delivery of essential humanitarian aid such as food and medicine, noting that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has received requests to exempt this aid. Trucks loaded with food and humanitarian assistance have been accumulating at Niger's land border since the military coup on July 26, as food prices have risen, reflecting the impact of the sanctions. The aim of hindering the delivery of aid is to pressure the military council in Niger to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power. Emmanuel Gignac, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Niger, said at a press conference during a visit to Geneva, "There is no way to bring humanitarian aid into the country. The goods directly affected are food, and then it will be medicine." He added that ECOWAS has not yet approved requests for special permits to deliver aid. A spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that the organization has about 50 containers containing vaccines, refrigeration equipment, and therapeutic foods stuck at various entry points and cannot deliver them into the country. He explained that more than one million doses of yellow fever and rotavirus vaccines cannot be transported by air from Europe due to the closure of airspace. He also mentioned that the organization is concerned about approximately 28 million vaccine doses stored within the country, with 95 percent of warehouses currently facing power outages. Gignac also expressed concerns about the security of the people in Niger, especially among the 700,000 forcibly displaced individuals, noting a sharp increase in incidents of kidnapping and sexual violence since the coup began.