UNHCR Niger

“I want to become a doctor so that I can make my contribution to society…too many people are dying from preventable diseases amongst the refugee community and the host community here in Niger, I want to help these people.”
Ibrahima Maiga Abdourhamane, recipient of an unprecedented 7 year scholarship to study medicine in Senegal explains why he wants to become a doctor. Ibrahima – 18 years old, is one of four Malian refugee students to be awarded the highly prestigious DAFI scholarship for third level studies overseas. ‘The Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative’ (DAFI) scholarships are a German funded initiative which have been awarded to academically high achieving refugee students since 1992.
Ibrahima Maiga Abdourhamane has been living in Niger since fleeing the conflict in Mali in 2012. Despite his traumatic experiences, he realizes the importance of education, and managed to achieve the highest marks in his school. He is the first in his family to study at third level, while he explains that his father who worked in agriculture and manual labour in Mali, is now based in the Mangaize refugee camp, where Ibrahima visits him during school holidays. The Malian urban refugee community living in Niamey were celebrating the news this week, sharing in the good fortune of the four successful recipients. Moussa Hamani, fellow Malian refugee and ‘President des Jeunes Leader’ who has been volunteering with UNHCR for three years shared the sentiment of joy, “We, all of us here are so happy for our brother… the young doctor! Even though he comes from a very vulnerable family, he worked so hard to achieve this.” Of 15 scholarships awarded for 2015/2016 to 15 countries, four of these were awarded to Malian refugees in Niger.
The DAFI scholarships contribute to UNHCR’s overall objective of promoting self-reliance and durable solutions for refugees, through contributing to skills development and empowerment through education. For more information on the DAFI scholarship scheme, see: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e4a2dd6.html

Distributions de vivres à Diffa. ©WFP

Les mouvements de populations dans la région de Diffa ont continué durant les mois de juillet et d’août. Selon différentes sources, environ 20 000 personnes en provenance de la ville de Damassak au Nigeria se sont réfugiés au Niger après le retrait des troupes de l’armée tchadienne de ce village.
Début août, dans les deux sites temporaires d’accueils de ces réfugiés à Gagamari et Chétimari, le PAM et CARE International, ont effectué un exercice de ciblage afin d’apporter une assistance alimentaire à près de 1 000 familles ainsi que des compléments nutritionnels aux femmes enceintes et allaitantes et aux enfants âgés de 6 à 59 mois. A Diffa, le PAM apporte une assistance à près de 170 000 bénéficiaires y compris les déplacés internes, les réfugiés, les retournés et les populations locales vulnérables. Pour la période de soudure, le PAM a augmenté son assistante à près de 130 000 bénéficiaires auxquels il faut ajouter les populations des camps et les distributions d’urgence ad hoc pour les nouveaux déplacés.
La situation de la sécurité alimentaire à Diffa reste préoccupante. Les évaluations du Système d’Alerte Précoce (SAP), conduites avec les partenaires du gouvernement, montrent que la région reste chroniquement déficitaire pour l’agriculture pluviale. De plus, en raison des restrictions sécuritaires, les populations n’ont pu cultiver qu’une partie de leurs terres et beaucoup de déplacés internes ont perdu leurs moyens d’existence.
Face à cette situation et au regard des besoins humanitaires, le défi pour le PAM est de bénéficier de financements suffisants pour la période d’après soudure à partir de début octobre afin de ne pas réduire le nombre de ses bénéficiaires, d’assister les ménages les plus vulnérables et de garder une capacité de réponse pour les nouveaux déplacements.

Two years into Boko Haram’s brutal cycle of violence, what could well become Africa’s largest displacement crisis is now unravelling across the Lake Chad Basin, straddling Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Already over 2.5 million people have been forced from their homes. Violence has disrupted the childhood of over 1.4 million boys and girls, uprooted from their homes and schools. Those who ran for their lives did not have the means, nor the force, to go very far. They are hosted by their very neighbors, who count amongst the world’s worst-off communities.
Sitting in a household in Niger’s region of Diffa – the poorest region of the poorest country in the world – and listening to Nigerian refugees and the local family who have opened the doors of their home to them, one is struck by two things: The extent of the horror refugees had to live through and the immense generosity of their hosts.

In 2013, UNHCR Niger called on the academic institution IFORD (Institute for Training and Demographic Research), based in Yaounde, Cameroon, to carry out an in-depth analysis of the socio-economic profile of the Malian refugee population present in Niger. Two years later, in order to be able to closely observe the evolution of the situation, the exercise was repeated. The results are now available, and are broadly encouraging. Ignace Edgar Mbom, researcher at IFORD, responds to our questions.

Reply: It’s true that the comparative analysis of the living conditions of the Malian refugees in 2013 and today show real transformations. For example: - In terms of education, from their country of origin up to 2015, the interest of households to enroll their children in school has significantly increased, from 50.3% in place of origin to 59.8% in 2013 and 75.9% in 2015. Even if the goal of “Education For All” is not yet reached, real progress is noted in the behavior of parents. For nomads is not always easy to educate their children. But today we can observe that, parents, even when they go out to pasture sites, leave their children without any gender distinction in the camps/ZARs to attend classes. This is a real breakthrough in universal primary education. - In terms of the ownership of property, a restocking can be observed today with nearly 6 out of 10 households that have at least one breeding animal. In comparison, two years ago less than three in 10 households were in possession of such an animal. - Similarly, in comparison with 2013, there is an improvement of more than 7 points in the overall living conditions of Malian refugees in camps/ZARs: 29% of households were considered poor in 2013 against 22% today (Reversely, 71% were ranked as non-poor in 2013 against 78% in 2015). Hence, you may call the socio-economic evolution situation of Malian refugees in Niger a success story.

Reply: IFORD is an intergovernmental institute whose expertise and recognition in Africa and at the global level was rewarded in 2011 with the “United Nations of Excellence Award” for its participation and contribution to development through technical support, research and training in Africa and the world. Our collaboration with other agencies of the UN System including UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNWOMEN, IOM, UNHCR and beyond (World Bank …) reflects the trust and recognition with regard to the seriousness, relevance, quality and the scope of work undertaken by IFORD. In order to preserve and sustain this reputation, requires the Institute, wherever the need arises, to provide accurate and reliable information which reflects realities on the ground, in order to offer partners reliable data.

Reply: We can say that the situation is generally better in ZARs (Intikane and Tazalite) than in camps or in urban environments. And this despite the fact that the general food ration has been reduced to 50% for the majority of the households in the ZARs.

Reply: The case of Intikane, where as previously noted, food assistance has already been significantly reduced over the last year, demonstrates that despite this reduction the living conditions have so far not at all deteriorated. The refugees have been able so far to adapt to this new situation to the point of not considering an imminent return to their places of origin.

Reply: I have introduced IFORD further up in this conversation. We are hence well placed to accompany UNHCR, the Niger government, and the NGO partners in their decision making in planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Where are the men? In Mali? Probably. In the age bracket of 20-39 years, the ratio of men to women is 5.7 men for every 10 women. An analysis of the adaptation strategies of the households shared between the two sides of the border remains necessary.
A greater use of the formal health care system: In 2015 less than 13.4% of households do not have recourse to a health structure when they are sick compared to 40.9% in 2013. The fact that health services are free of charge and close to the camps/ZAR are important factors in this context. This also reflects a behavioural change which will probably be sustainable. Today, waiting times that are too long are the principal reason for people not to seek care in case of illness. This element requires special attention in the strategy for the integration of Malian refugees into the public health care system. To accompany the health structures with an effort to smoothen the flow of patients is unavoidable.
High satisfaction rates despite being below SPHERE standards: An estimated 92.3% of households have access to a sufficient quantity of drinking water for human consumption. During the month of July, in the three refugee camps and the two Refugee Hosting Areas (ZARs), an average of 19 liters of water per day per person was available. A portion of the water available in the camps and the Refugee Hosting Areas is used by the refugees for watering their animals. In Intekan refugees can buy water for their animals. In humanitarian assistance, the standard levels established are 20 liters per day per person.

The challenge of shelters: The state of shelters needs constant improvement. However, in 2013 52.5% of the heads of households reported that their shelters were in a poor state, compared to just 35.5% today. Despite this positive development, the challenge of maintaining good standards for shelters remains, in particular at the camps in Tillabery which are particularly vulnerable to weather conditions. Some households are even beginning to construct their shelters from semi-permanent materials. In addition to the cost, the desire to replace temporary shelters (mainly tents) with houses requires a broader reflection by the Nigerien authorities and its partners.
Food purchased with vouchers can meet the food needs for a longer time than in-kind food distributed: The distribution of food rations is not the preference of the refugees. Food assistance through a voucher system – like in Mangaize refugee camp - allows more choice for refugees. In addition, food purchased through vouchers meets the needs of refugee households for a longer time, even though the value of a voucher (in theory) is equal to that of a food ration. The use of vouchers highlights the economic rationality of households in meeting their food needs. 42.5% of households in Mangaize assure that the food that they acquire with the vouchers allows them to meet their food needs for more than three weeks, compared to just 27.5% for the other camps in Tillabery.

Aujourd’hui bien plus que lors de leur arrivée au Niger, et après d’importantes actions de sensibilisation, les femmes réfugiées maliennes se tournent vers les centres de santé formels pour accoucher. Les naissances dans ces centres de santé sont automatiquement enregistrées et transmises aux mairies pour l’établissement des actes de naissance.
Cependant, les accouchements à domicile, bien qu’en baisse, continuent d’être enregistrés sur les camps de réfugiés Maliens. Pour les parents des enfants nés à domicile la notification des naissances dans les délais prévus pour l’établissement de l’acte de naissance n’est généralement pas un réflexe. Pour cette raison, des audiences foraines sont périodiquement organisées sur les camps de réfugiés afin de permettre l’établissement d’actes de naissance à travers des jugements déclaratifs. Le jugement déclaratif donne lieu à une transcription de la naissance sur les registres de l'Etat civil.
C’est dans cette optique que les parents des enfants réfugiés sans acte de naissance, les agents de la Direction Générale d’Etat Civil et des Réfugiés (DGEC-R), les autorités préfectorales et communales, de l’UNHCR et l’ONG HED TAMAT (partenaire de l’ONG CARE) se sont retrouvés le 12 septembre dans le camp d’Abala pour une audience foraine. Au cours de cette audience le juge d’instance du tribunal de Filingué (Région de Tillabery) a rendu des jugements déclaratifs sur la base desquels le maire d’Abala, étant aussi l’Officier d’Etat Civil, a directement établi les actes de naissances de 242 enfants préalablement identifiés par les agents de la DGEC-R.
Le succès de cette activité ne doit cependant pas masquer la nécessité de continuer les sensibilisations à l’égard des parents tant sur l’importance des actes de naissance et que sur les étapes à suivre afin que les naissances soient déclarés dans les délais prévus au lieu de devoir faire recours aux audiences foraines.

Food insecurity in Niger is a cyclical and structural problem. Whether the rainy season is good or not, each year during the hunger gap (“période de soudure”) from May to September, period between the end of the consumption of the last harvest and the consumption of the next one, more than 3 million of persons are in urgent need of food assistance.

In the Diffa Region, with an influx of 100,000 displaced people from Nigeria, and the resulting 20% population increase in the region, the issue of food insecurity has never been so prevalent. According to the national agency for the prevention and management of food crisis, this year, 210 villages of the region, with a population of 169,877, are considered at risk of hunger.

This year the gravity of the food insecurity is exacerbated by the security situation. Rain-dependent agricultural planting (mainly millet) is behind schedule, with many households planting late in August, while up to 32 villages have been unable to plant due to security risks. A mid-term evaluation of the ongoing agricultural campaign predicts that if the rains are to stop by 15th of September a good or average production of just 40% would be expected for the whole region. Whereas if the rains were to continue until the 30th of September, an overall good or average production of up to 80% could be anticipated. This potential lack of production, combined with the low purchasing power capacity of both the host and the displaced population could lead to critical humanitarian situation.

Pastoralism is also directly feeling the effects of the security instability. Prior to the conflict, pastoralists were free to move between Niger and Nigeria and in the environs of Lake Chad in search of grazing lands and water for their livestock. However the unstable security situation has resulted in a significant reduction in their mobility, while local authorities have ordered them to leave particular areas where there is suspicion of Boko Haram activity. This lack of mobility has resulted in bigger herds of livestock on the grazing land available in Diffa, with a resulting insufficiency in the number of water points available for the animals. The concentration of the livestock around a limited number of grazing lands is also impacting the regenerative capacity of the natural resources. Two third of the Diffa Region being desertic, the consequences of the current situation for the next years could be dramatic.

The fact that many pastoralists are no longer choosing to move in search of grazing lands and water points is having a serious knock on effect on the local and household economy. The issue of the accessibility of feed for livestock is a recurrent and serious problem, with huge deficits recorded each year. With pastoralists forced to remain sedentary, the demand for feed is increasing, with a resulting increase in the price, whereas the price of livestock is reducing significantly with the increasing supply.

All of the aforementioned challenges have resulted for The Diffa Region in a situation of food insecurity without precedent.

Based on the facts and predictions mentioned above, the Conciliation Committee Donors-Government of Niger has recommended the elaboration of an Interim Plan of Support for 2015-2016 for the areas at the highest risk of food insecurity and hunger.

For more information on the effects of Boko Haram on food security in the broader region of West Africa, see: http://www.irinnews.org/report/101987/millions-going-hungry-because-of-boko-haram

A l’approche de la Tabaski (L'Aïd el-Kebir), prévue autour du 24 septembre, les réfugiés urbains de Niamey viennent de bénéficier de deux appuis financiers.
Le premier fait suite au plaidoyer réalisé auprès du Bureau de la Coopération Suisse au Niger par l’Ambassadeur de la République du Mali, S.E.M. Alhamdou Ag Ilyene. Chaque réfugié malien présent à Niamey a reçu de la part du Bureau de la Coopération Suisse 5,000 FCFA. Comme le mettait en avant l’Ambassadeur du Mali lors de la cérémonie de remise : « à l’approche de la fête très importante de la Tabaski des nouveaux besoins se font sentir pour les réfugiés, tel que le besoin d’habits, de lait ou encore de thé. Cette donation en cash peut permettre aux réfugiés de sortir un peu de la rigueur à laquelle ils sont malheureusement accoutumés ». L’Ambassadeur ponctuait son intervention en disant « pour les réfugiés qui ont décidé de rester encore au Niger, il est nécessaire de continuer d’aller vers l’autonomisation ce qui veut dire de mener des activités génératrices de revenus pour ne plus tendre la main».
Le second appui est arrivé quelques jours plus tard. Via l’Institut de Micro Finance « Capital Finance », deux groupements de femmes réfugiées ont reçu 1.3000.000 FCFA et 1.000.000 FCFA, l’un pour la fabrication de bijoux et l’autre la teinture des bazins (tissu traditionnel en coton). Le choix de ces groupements par rapport à d’autres répond à la viabilité économique de leur projet : l’appui de capital finance est un prêt remboursable. L’argent remboursé sera ensuite prêté à un nouveau groupement. En amont, les deux groupements ont bénéficié d’un accompagnement autour de la gestion financière de leur activité.
Au Niger, au Mali et comme ailleurs dans la sous-région, les sommes utilisées par les ménages lors des cérémonies (naissance, mariage, décès ou encore Tabaski) sont importantes et l’analyse des dépenses des ménages liées aux cérémonies est souvent un bon indicateur pour observer le profil socio-économique des ménages. Rendez-vous est donc pris dans un peu plus d’un an, pour la fête de la Tabaski 2016, chez les membres des groupements appuyés pour voir si la dépense par personne dépasse 5,000 FCFA et observer la présence de moutons sur le bucher dans leurs concessions.

Changement d’adresse pour le site internet développé conjointement par l’UNHCR et REACH dans le cadre des interventions en faveur des populations déplacées de Diffa. http://www.infohumanitaire-diffa.org/ devient http://www.diffa-forced-displacement.info/.
L’adresse change mais l’objectif reste le même : fournir à l’ensemble des acteurs engagés à Diffa des informations sur les infrastructures sociales de bases de plus de 150 villages accueillant des déplacées (cartographie interactive et cartes en format PDF) et servir à la fois de mémoire collective, et d’outils de coordination, permettant de connaitre toutes les interventions des acteurs au niveau de chaque village (matrice 6 w interactive et sous format Excel).

En mai 2015, lors de l’opération d’évacuation des iles du Lac Tchad, les autorités nigériennes avaient retenu deux sites pour accueillir les populations déplacées à savoir Yébi, au sud du Lac et à quelques kilomètres de Bosso, et Kime Gana, au nord du lac et tout proche de Nguigmi. La majorité des déplacés avait alors regagné ces deux sites.
Les autorités avait décrété que ces deux sites resteraient ouverts de manière temporaire, le temps d’organiser le processus de relocalisation volontaire des déplacés vers le camp de Kabelawa. 2000 personnes sur les plus de 8000 présentes à Kime Gana avaient fait le choix de regagner le camp. Ce choix répondait souvent à l’absence de personnes sur lesquelles s’appuyer près de Nguigmi : les personnes faisant le choix partant à Kabelawa étaient des réfugiés nigérians et surtout des personnes en provenance du sud du Lac et donc non rattachées au canton de Nguigmi.
Au début du mois d’août, les autorités ont annoncé la fermeture officielle du site de Kime Gana notamment pour permettre aux forces armées en assurant la sécurité de pouvoir se déployer vers d’autres zones. Cette fermeture signifie la fin de l’assistance humanitaire sur le site de Kime Gana et un nouveau mouvement pour les personnes qui y étaient toujours installées. Les villages environnants du site sont la destination principale, d’autres, une minorité, ont fait le choix de se rendre à Kabelawa.

Famille en partance pour Kabelawa depuis Kime Gana (Photo©UNHCR/Ibrahim Abdou)