Ensure your sanctions do not deny the people of Niger necessary humanitarian assistance – UN to ECOWAS

The United Nations (UN) has alerted the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS) to relook at its sanctions on Niger to ensure Nigeriens do not suffer.

Biting sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS following the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum include power cut-off as well as the closure of land and air borders.

In a letter to ECOWAS signed by Martin Griffiths who is the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations, it has raised concern about how some of the sanctions imposed on Niger are having an unintended adverse impact on humanitarian operations conducted by UN Agencies and nongovernmental organisations.

The United Nations is now appealing to ECOWAS and its member States to ensure that the sanction measures integrate the necessary standing exemptions for the humanitarian operations of these various actors in Niger.

Among its requests, the UN wants ECOWAS to ensure the sanctions will not impact the safe, timely, and unimpeded movement of humanitarian cargo and personnel into and out of Niger, by air and by land.

“I look forward to working with you to ensure that the population of Niger who has been directly affected by the crisis can receive the necessary humanitarian assistance,” Martin Griffiths said in parts of his letter to ECOWAS.

Below is a copy of the letter:
Excellency,
With reference to your letter to the Secretary-General dated 31 July, transmitting the

the decision of the Authority of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) taken at the 51st Extraordinary Summit of the Mediation and Security Council at the Heads of State level on Niger, I would like to bring to your attention the unintended adverse impact of some of ECOWAS’s sanctions on the humanitarian operations conducted by UN Agencies and nongovernmental organizations participating in the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plans, Refugee Response Plans, other United Nations humanitarian appeals, or OCHA-coordinated humanitarian “clusters”.

Several have reached out to me sharing accounts of major logistical impediments and warning about foreseeable additional obstacles related to some of the measures adopted by ECOWAS – including in terms of procurement, transportation, and banking services.

I, therefore, appeal to ECOWAS and its member States to ensure that the sanction measures integrate the necessary standing exemptions for the humanitarian operations of these various actors in Niger. In particular, the exemptions would need to:

i. ensure that the safe, timely and unimpeded movement of humanitarian cargo and personnel into and out of Niger, by air and by land, will not be impacted by the

sanctions.
ii. guarantee the safety of humanitarian flights.

iii. clarify that all commercial and financial transactions necessary to support the

continuation of humanitarian operations in Niger remain permitted and proactively communicate this decision to financial institutions, relevant authorities and entities in the private sector.

iv. maintain the provision of utility services as necessary to support humanitarian

operations.
v. exclude from asset freezes all transactions needed to support the delivery of

humanitarian assistance and activities necessary to address basic human needs of the population, including the processing or payment of funds, other financial assets, or economic resources, or the provision of goods and services to targeted actors or institutions under their control as part of legitimate humanitarian activities.

vi. ensure that humanitarian organizations and their personnel involved in such

transactions do not incur any legal risk for their activities strictly related to the

provision of humanitarian assistance to the population of Niger.

I look forward to working with you to ensure that the population of Niger who has been directly affected by the crisis can receive the necessary humanitarian assistance.