Niger
1.1 Niger Humanitarian Background
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Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Disasters

Type

Occurs

Comments / Details

Drought

Yes

Droughts are recurrent in the region and since the 1970’s there has been registered instances of drought in at least one community every year[1]. Severe drought has hit the country as recently as 2005, 2010 and 2012. The climate trend is diverging, with both annual rainfall (decreases risk) and air temperature (increases risk) rising. The latter is deemed stronger and severe droughts may reoccur and be aggravated by the increased cultivation of land in the relatively wet years, and population increase[2].

Earthquakes

No

There are few registered cases in the earthquake databases in Niger and these are old, weak (<5) and in deserted areas[3].

Epidemics

Yes

Epidemics are recurrent in Niger and the trend of both registered causes and deaths are is on the rise. Since the year 2000 the number of registered cases has fluctuated between 100 and 170 cases per year with death tolls between 200 and 1 500 per annum[4].  The latest outbreaks include Hepatitis E (Apr 2017), Meningitis (Jan 2012; Apr 2015; Mar 2016; Mar 2017), Rift Valley Fever (Sep 2016), Cholera (Oct 2011; Jun 2012; Oct 2014) and Measles (Apr 2015)[5].

Malaria is endemic in the country and is listed as cause for about 10% of deaths in Niger. The trend is declining[6].

Extreme Temperatures

Yes

The temperatures range varies between 25°C and 40°C and can climb towards 50°C in certain regions in the hot season[7]. The temperature range is part of the normal climate pattern in the region and the population is able to cope. Temperatures have been increasing2.

Flooding

Yes

Flooding has been a yearly recurrent event in the country affecting between 50 000 and 500 000 persons per year since 2010[8]. It is a seasonal event that follows on the heels of the wet season. Floods have several repercussions including death, loss of domestic animals, destroyed households and crops. The trend has been rising.

Insect Infestation

Yes

Niger is exposed to invasions by desert locusts. The occurrences are not that regular with three occurrences over the last thirty years (1988; 2004; 2012). Sedentary grasshoppers also pose a certain risk to crops, but do not form swarms as the locusts.[9] [10]

Mudslides

No

None on record.

Volcanic Eruptions

No

A dormant field can be found in the Todra Volcano field in the Aïr region. No recorded eruptions.[11]

High Waves / Surges

No

Landlocked

Wildfires

Yes

Wildfires occur regularly in the dry season. The frequency is usually five to ten registered cases per year geographically concentrated and mainly affecting pasturages. In exceptional years 50 cases have been registered including deaths, loss and damaged housing and destroyed pasturages[12].

High Winds

Yes

Sand storms are recurrent in the dry, or Harmattan, season but have limited impact. Hurricane strength storms are not common. The Emdat database contains one entry for storm in 2002, affecting 1 250 persons.[13]

Other Comments

Several disaster types can appear simultaneously and overwhelm coping capacities. Floods can occur on the tail of a drought and further aggravate crop damages.

Man-Made Issues

Civil Strife

Yes

The current administration seem to have consolidated their position. The opposition is seemingly unable to effectively organise to pose a threat or stir unrest. Demonstrations occur especially linked to students and the education system in general.

Civil conflict has precedence in the north of Niger where Tuaregs have rebelled on multiple occasions whereupon the latest ended in 2008-2009. There is no indication that this particular conflict will reunite, but the bordering Mali region is infested with jihadist groups and criminal networks that operate and recruit in both countries. The Nigerien state has limited reach and capacity to secure these areas. Similarly the Diffa region is under threat of Boko Haram that have carried out attacks in the region on multiple occasions. The ideology and opportunities offered by some of these groups have a further destabilising effect in its lure for precarious youth.14

International Conflict

Yes

Niger has been relatively stable but is surrounded by more unstable countries. Boko Haram creates unrest from the Nort-north-east Nigeria and Niger is engaged in fighting the group. Jihadist groups creates unrest in northern Mali. The borders are porous and poses significant security risks in the surrounding areas.[14]

Internally Displaced Persons

Yes

Internally displaced persons is estimated at 127 000 with returned Nigeriens and fleeing Nigerians at 121 000.[15] The affected persons are displaced by Boko Haram activities in the Diffa region and North-East Nigeria.

Migration has increased significantly in later years. The region of Agadez is used as transit point to Libya and Algeria to further attempt Europe.16

Refugees Present

Yes

There are 55 800 refugees from Mali that are located in the regions of Tahoua, Tillabéry and Niamey.15 These are no longer considered to need urgent humanitarian intervention but a more long term intervention.[16]

Landmines / UXO Present

Yes

Niger is contaminated with anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines in the Agadez region.[17] The extent of explosive remnants in the region is unknown, but forays have discovered some.[18] Efforts to clear the mines has suffered for lack of funding and insecurity in the zone.

Recently landmines have been employed by the Boko Haram in the Diffa region. The extent of this use in Niger is unknown.[19]

Other Comments

 

Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities

Seasonal Effects on Transport

Transport Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Primary Road Transport

July to September

The main roads connecting the major cities is generally serviceable all year long. Certain stretches are nonetheless more vulnerable during the wet season due to poor drainage and insufficient maintenance.

Secondary Road Transport

July to September

Secondary roads of laterite can become impassable during the wet season due to heavy rainfalls and lack of drainage.

Rail Transport

N/A

No operational railway in the country.

Air Transport

July to September

December to March

Rainfall during the wet season can perturb certain air strips due to lack of drainage.

The Harmattan, or dry season, brings sand storms that severely limits visibility, which in turn leads to diversions, delays and cancelations.

Waterway Transport

April to Mid-December

The Niger river is navigable 300km from Gaya to Niamey from mid-December to March. However shallows prevent anything but small draft African canoes. The river is not deemed navigable from Niamey to the East. There is negligible transport of passengers and cargo on the river and is not suitable for transport of humanitarian cargo.

 

The northern part of Niger is mostly a hot desert climate[20] which is characterized by hot temperatures and is dry for most of the year. Precipitation can occur from April through December but will generally evaporate immediately. Heavy rainfall in this area may occur, and has historically been concentrated in July, and August in particular. On these occasions the road infrastructure will be severely impacted and even the main roads l may be impassable for certain areas due to flooding. See temperature and precipitation chart for Bilma below for an illustrative example. It should be noted that the red area of hot desert climate is not as uniform as it appears. Generally the closer the area is to the golden part the closer it will approach the hot semi-arid climate of the south. 

The golden area in the above figure represents hot semi-arid climate. This climate resembles the hot desert climate, but will be somewhat cooler and see more and rain with higher regularity in the wet season. The wet season runs from June to September. The actually start and of the season will vary from year to year, as will the amount of rain falling in the season. The wet season in Niger is usually from June to September, though rain may fall before and after. See below temperature and precipitation chart for Niamey for an illustrative example of the climate. Many secondary roads will become practically impassable in this period and for certain areas the final leg will need to be assured by donkey carts or pirogues.

 The dry season, October to May, is known for frequent sand storms that can severely impair air travel. Delays and cancellations is common place in this period, especially for internal air travel. Seasonal social activities such as the Hadj have negligible impact.

Considering the corridors the lean season in Niger contributes to port congestion and peak demand for transport for transiting cargo. Niger relies mostly on the port of Cotonou, Benin and the port of Lomé, Togo. In May/June the cotton harvest season will further contribute to congestion at Cotonou. And the wet season from June to September will slow discharge rates for bulk and break-bulk cargo. Transit will in generally also be slower with higher accident frequency due to deterioration of the roads by the rain.  

 

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling

Activity Type

Time Frame

Comments / Details

Storage

June - September

Peak demand for Warehouse renting as merchants seek to better protect their stock. This decreases storage space available and increases prices. 

Handling

October-December

The harvesting period draws part of the available manual labour to the villages to help with the harvest. In general importation decreases in this period and thus limits the impact of lower supply.

Other

   

 

The wet season is the peak period for warehouse renting as merchants will seek better protection for their stock. Demand for storage will increase following the harvest, but not necessarily for fully fledged warehouses as smaller storage units are preferred.

The harvest season generally has a limited impact on transportation and logistical services in Niger. Manual labour may become scarcer as some return to their villages to help with the harvest. See timetable below for harvest period and lean season.

Pre-stocking is an alternative to avoid port congestion before the lean season. For distributions in Niger the most exposed sites during the wet season may benefit from pre-stocking. This depends as well on the capacity and ability to store food over longer periods.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The long term strategy for development is the Stratégie de Développement Durable et Croissance Inclusive (sustainable development and inclusive growth strategy). It targets 2035 to achieve the sustainable development goals and inclusive economic growth[21] [22]. The plan of action to achieve the vision is mainly described in the Plan de Développement Economique et Sociale, 2017-2021[23]  (PDES – economic and social development plan), le programme Résilience Niger[24] (Niger resilience program) and Plan de Développement Sanitaire[25] (Public hygiene development plan) is the reference document for interaction with the humanitarian actors. It lays out the government’s plans for development for the four year period and takes account of the sustainable development goals.

The initiative Nigériens Nourrissent les Nigériens (3N – Nigeriens nourish Nigeriens) is part of the plan and targets food security and agricultural development. 3N coordinates the national nutrition policy and is aligned with the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR Sahel) roadmap. Since launching in 2011, 3N has become the national platform for concerted, integrated and convergent resilience building and the key strategic partner for WFP, FAO and UNICEF. Improved access to, and quality of, education was declared a national goal in 2012 and entails a school feeding program operated by WFP and supported by UNICEF.

Government agencies for emergency response are led by the Dispositif National de Prévention et des Gestion des Crises Alimentaires (DNPGCA – national device for prevention and management of food emergency) and is coordinated by the Prime Minister. Its mission is to prevent crisis, and coordinate public intervention when crisis occur. Several agencies are implicated in this work. Le Système d’Alerte Précoce (SAP – early warning system) handles information and analysis with the aim to signal potential crisis at an early stage. La Cellule de Crise Alimentaire (CCA – food emergency agency) is responsible for coordination and supervision of relief efforts. L’Office de Produits Vivriers du Niger (OPVN – Nigerien office for food products) is responsible for the national security stock. This is supposed to cover the needs for 20 % of the population for three months in wait for international intervention. For emergencies stemming from flooding, armed conflict, inter-communal violence; industrial accidents and refugees the Cellule de Coordination des actions Humanitaires (CCH – Agency for coordination of humanitarian involvement) is in charge of coordination, prevention and intervention. The Direction des Appuis Développement Communautaire (DADC – Entity to support community development)

The ministry for humanitarian action and emergency response (Ministre de l’Action Humanitaire et de la Gestion des Catastrophes) is the key ministry for humanitarian coordination and response. Depending on the type of intervention the following ministries are relevant: ministry for community development and soil improvement (Ministre de Développement Communautaire et de l’Aménagement du Territoire) agricultural and livestock ministry; (Ministre de L’Agriculture et de L’Elevage);  the ministry of hydraulics and sanitation (Ministre de l’Hydraulique et de l’Assainissement; the health ministry (Ministre de la Santé Publique); the primary education ministry (Ministre de l’Enseignement Primaire, de l’Alphabétisation, de la Promotion des Langues Nationales et de l’Éducation Civique) ; the ministry of population, women and children protection (Ministre de la Population, de la Promotion de la Femme, de la Protection de l’Enfant).

The military is involved in emergency operations notably by providing escorts for field missions.

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Government Contact List

Humanitarian Community

The humanitarian structure in Niger is organized in clusters which is coordinated by The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). HCT is responsible for (1) approving and validating all strategies concerning humanitarian action in Niger; (2) adopt common rules for engagement; (3) promote and assure adhesion to rules imposed by the IASC; (4) ensure humanitarian advocacy; and (5) support the government’s operations and initiatives. HCT is led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and facilitated by OCHA. It consists of representatives from the UN organizations UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, FAO, IOM and USAIDS; representatives from the international NGOs: ACF, OXFAM, CONCERN, ACTED; representatives from donors: ECHO, France and the European Union; representatives from MMSF and ICRS have observatory status.

The national inter-cluster acts as the agent linking HCT and the clusters. It proposes interventions, execute HCT’s decisions. Further it seeks to complement the clusters and works on avoiding duplication of efforts amongst them. The clusters are responsible for coordinating activities and emergency response in the section they operate. They This includes collection of data, analyzing information, identify needs and gaps, and prioritization. Each cluster can have a number of sub-clusters which operates on regional levels. As of January 16, 2018 there are six clusters and one working group operational in Niger. The clusters are for Protection, Nutrition, Emergency Education, Health, Food Security and WASH. The working group concerns emergency shelter and non-food items. In addition a working group for supply chain is in the making.

The ongoing programs are concentrated in the following five themes: food security; malnutrition; displaced population and refugees; natural disasters; and epidemics. More details can be found in the Overview of Humanitarian Needs document for 2018[26] and the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2018.[27]

For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link:

4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List


 

[20] Köppen climate classification

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