Humanitarian assistance to Niger continued despite coup – UN

<p>WFP is providing both cash assistance and food assistance in Niger and will continuously assess the situation to ensure its staff and partners can safely access people in need.</p>, <span>Niger Army spokesman Col. Major Amadou Adramane speaks during an appearance on national television after President Mohamed Bazoum was held in the presidential palace, in Niamey, Niger, July 26, 2023, in this still image taken from video. (ORTN/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS)</span>, <h2>Ms Nicole Kouassi, UN Acting Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator has said that humanitarian operations, development support, and peace programmes have continued even in the wake of the military coup in Niger.</h2>, <p>Kouassi said this while briefing journalists on Friday in New York on the humanitarian situation in the country.</p>, <p>She was speaking from the capital, Niamey, just hours after the general whose troops seized the democratically elected president, declared that he was assuming control of the country.</p>, <p>On behalf of UN agencies on the ground, she echoed the Secretary-General’s condemnation of Wednesday’s coup against President Mohamed Bazoum, who reportedly remains in detention at his home.</p>, <p>Kouassi expressed concern over the current “difficult situation” in Niger, where 4.3 million people, mainly women and children, were already dependent on aid prior to the power grab.</p>, <p>Some 3.3 million are facing food insecurity, while a $534 million appeal is just over 30 per cent funded, she said, calling for greater support.</p>, <p>The UN and international aid groups have not stopped delivering amid the crisis.</p>, <p>However, UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights have been temporarily suspended because the air space is closed, along with the territorial borders.</p>, <p>“All the humanitarian partners and development partners remain engaged and committed to supporting the vulnerable population of Niger who are affected by a combination of climate issues, economic and security shocks in the con