The military junta in Niger has ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to leave the country. The regime, which has made sovereignty a key issue, did not give any details about the decision.
The Foreign Affairs ministry asked the ICRC to leave the country after denouncing certain agreements, a civil society source in Niger told RFI.
Some foreigners working with the NGO in Niger have already begun to leave the country, and the delegation’s office has been closed since Tuesday, according to the AFP news agency.
No official reason was given for the decision to shut down the ICRC. The French NGO ACTED and its Nigeran partner APBE had a similar experience in November.
Red Cross in Niger for 35 years
The ICRC, which published a report on its activities in Niger during the first half of 2024 on Tuesday, the day its expulsion was announced, has not yet reacted publicly,
In the report, the ICRC says it has been present in Niger since 1990, and highlights its provision of healthcare to over 120,000 victims of armed conflict last year.
Niger's current regime, which came to power in July 2023 through a military coup, has made national sovereignty one of its priorities, and it has notably expelled French and American soldiers engaged in anti-terrorism operations, and it joined other Sahel countries in withdrawing from the Ecowas regional bloc.
Threats to sovereignty
At the end of January, Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba said he was taking “important measures to monitor and supervise NGOs and development organisations”.
He added that the junta has found that “many NGOs are involved with these partners who are waging war against us… through the support they often give to terrorists”.
(With newswires)
