Red Cross operations in Niger are suspended following a government order

The West African country’s government ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to close its offices, citing suspected connection with armed groups. As a result, the organization says it has ceased activities in Niger.

Accusing the group of meeting and working with Islamist insurgency commanders, Niger junta head Abdourahamane Tchiani stated in a late May interview with state television that the group had been ejected in February.

The claims were rejected by the ICRC.

“To fulfil its humanitarian mandate to protect and assist victims of armed conflict, the ICRC engages in a spoken or written dialogue with all parties to a conflict,” it said in a statement issued on Thursday.

An organization stated that it “never provides those parties with financial, logistical or other support.”

Having operated in Niger for 35 years, the ICRC expressed sadness for the government’s choice.

It said that after authorities ordered it to do so early this year, it promptly recalled all international employees from Niger, but it remained open to discussion to determine the reasons behind the decision and offer explanations.

It also said that efforts to talk about the matter didn’t work.

Patrick Youssef, Regional Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, stated in the statement, “Helping the most vulnerable people affected by ongoing armed conflicts has been our priority in Niger and to do so with transparency, independence, neutrality, and impartiality.”

The United Nations reports that in 2024, a humanitarian crisis caused by unrest, epidemics, and natural disasters left almost 4.5 million people, or 17% of Niger’s population, in need of assistance.

President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger was overthrown in a coup by the country’s junta in 2023.
Following the coup, the government of Niger, like the military leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso, pushed out Western soldiers, including French, and turned to Russia for assistance in fighting militant organizations.