The ruling junta in Niger has suspended hundreds of national and international rights groups and aid agencies, a move authorities confirmed to AFP on Thursday, marking the regime's latest crackdown targeting NGOs in the West African country. Since seizing power in a July 2023 coup, General Abdourahamane Tiani has repeatedly accused NGOs of lacking transparency and of indirectly supporting the jihadist groups responsible for the long-running insurgency in the Sahel nation. In late January, Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba announced the adoption of "important measures to ensure the monitoring and supervision of NGOs and development organisations." Last week, Toumba authorized approximately 100 NGOs and organizations to continue their work out of more than 4,000 operating in Niger. The remainder must "suspend" activities because, according to the minister, they failed to officially publish their 2024 financial statements. They have been granted 60 days to comply. There are 4,122 NGOs and development associations operating in Niger, including 332 foreign ones. Together, these organizations mobilized over 250 billion CFA francs (around $440 million) in 2024, according to official figures. The number of international NGOs affected by the current suspension has not been specified. Several local and international NGOs had already been banned. Toumba had stated in January, "Many NGOs are in contact with these partners who bring us war through subversion missions... through the support they often provide to terrorists."The junta has championed a "Niger-first" foreign policy since taking power, resulting in the expulsion of US and French soldiers, as well as the French and EU ambassadors. Concurrently, the regime has strengthened ties with other partners such as Russia and Turkey. On Thursday, General Tiani again leveled accusations at Paris, Niger's former colonial rulerclaiming it was trying to "destabilize" Niger. "This war we are waging is a total war, initiated by France and its leader Emmanuel Macron," he told soldiers in the southeastern Diffa region, an epicenter of jihadist activity.
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