After preventing its agencies and other organizations from operating in military “operation zones,” the United Nations said on Friday that it was trying to get in touch with the coup leaders in Niger.
“We’ve seen the reports. We are reaching out to the de facto authorities in Niger to better understand what this means and the implications for the humanitarian work,” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters in Geneva.
Her comments came after Niger’s interior ministry late Thursday announced it was stopping UN agencies, NGOs and international organisations from working in military “operation zones”.
It did not specify which regions were affected, but said the measures were “due to the current security situation”.
“All activities and or movements in the zones of operations are temporarily suspended,” it said.
The military overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and seized control of Niger.
The catastrophic security situation in the landlocked, former French colony in the Sahel’s center was one of the arguments they used to depose the democratically elected leader.
The long-running violence in neighboring Nigeria has spilled over into southern Niger, while militants from Mali and Burkina Faso are launching an offensive in the southwest. Together, these two jihadist insurgencies are posing a threat to the country of Niger.
However, attacks have persisted since the coup, including one on August 15 that claimed the lives of 17 troops close to the Burkina Faso border.
