Niger: “There is no food, there is no water, there is nowhere to sleep”

The Malanville border post in northern Benin is one of the busiest in West Africa. Trucks carrying food, humanitarian aid and industrial equipment generally flow freely into neighboring Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Today, it's at a standstill.

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A line of thousands of trucks stretches 25 km (15 miles) from the muddy banks of the Niger River that marks the border. Drivers stranded for weeks hang their clothes between the trucks. Away from the border guards, small traders pile their wares onto wooden boats to cross the rain-battered river.

This backlog is one of the clearest signs to date of the impact of sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS regional bloc on Niger following the July 26 military coup.

The blockade aims to put pressure on the junta to restore President Mohamed Bazoum to power. In doing so, it has driven up food prices in Niger during the lean season, hampered industry and threatened shortages of medical supplies, aid agencies, officials and residents said.

“We don't know if we have been taken hostage or what,” said Nigerien trucker Soulemane, stranded at the border with his cargo of sugar and oil for more than 20 days. "There is no food, there is no water, there is nowhere to sleep."

There is no indication so far that the sanctions have damaged the popularity of the junta. Thousands of people took to the streets in support of the coup last Sunday, some of whom held anti-ECOWAS placards.

Mali's military rulers appeared to gain popularity when ECOWAS imposed sanctions there after the 2020 and 2021 coups.

Millions of people are unable to eat once a day

Some 6,000 tonnes of UN World Food Program goods are blocked out of Niger, including cereals, cooking oil and food for malnourished children, its regional spokesperson said Djaunsede Madjiangar.

Residents said there was still food on the shelves in Niamey, but prices had risen. Since the announcement of the sanctions, the price of rice has increased by 21%, while that of sorghum has increased by 14%, the WFP said.

The WFP supplies were intended to ease the food crisis already raging in Niger, where an Islamist insurgency has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

About 3 million people struggle to afford one meal a day. The crisis could push another 7 million into the same category, the WFP said.

“We could end up with 10 million people unable to feed themselves,” Madjiangar said. “Humanitarian needs are increasing. »

WFP and UNICEF, the UN children's agency, say they have not yet had to scale back operations in Niger, but warn that time is running out. The interruptions could have devastating effects in Niger, which has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

UNICEF containers are blocked at the border and in Benin's port of Cotonou. Cold chain equipment and vaccines risk losing their effectiveness. These include doses for the deadly rotavirus infection in children, the agency said in emailed comments.

Meanwhile, ECOWAS and the junta remain at odds. The bloc has threatened to intervene militarily if talks and other efforts to pressure the junta fail.

“These sanctions are not aimed at finding a solution, but at bringing us to our knees and humiliating us,” coup leader General Abdourahmane Tiani said in a speech on Saturday.

Company stand

Sanctions are not just threatening Niger's food and humanitarian supplies. Nigeria has cut power, jeopardizing medical care in hospitals, Tiani said.

Niamey-based entrepreneur Maxime Kader told Reuters he had to stop selling poultry incubators due to lack of plywood and low power consumption.

Large-scale infrastructure projects have also been affected by the fallout. The freezing of regional financial flows halted construction of a Chinese-led dam project meant to boost food security.

The projected economic growth of 7% this year was based on the planned launch of an oil pipeline from Niger to Benin, but the impact of the coup on work to complete the PetroChina-backed project (601857 .SS) is unclear. . PetroChina did not respond to a request for comment.

At the Malanville crossing, some vehicles marked WAPCO – a company working on the pipeline – were among those stuck in the queue, local authorities said. Reuters could not independently confirm this.

Many drivers at the border seemed to be preparing for a long wait. Some have erected makeshift tents and cook on small charcoal stoves, others forage for food as their money runs out.

“They need to review this situation because there is no o...