The United Nations announced on Tuesday that it had submitted an exemption request to the Economic Community of West African States for emergency supplies to the Niger Republic.
According to the UN, Niger’s restrictions are impeding crucial humanitarian help such as food and medicine.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ representative for Niger, Emmanuel Gignac, revealed this during a news conference in Geneva.
According to Reuters, trucks carrying food and humanitarian help have been building up at Niger’s land borders since the July 26 military coup, driving up food costs and demonstrating the impact of the sanctions. The blockade is intended to put pressure on the junta to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
Gignac noted, “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 also stated that ECOWAS had received an official letter from UN aid director Martin Griffiths requesting exclusions.
