Niger - Cold Chain in Danger / Supplies Held at Border : Stafano Savi / UNICEF / AP

Stefano Savi, UNICEF Rep Niger

“The crisis unfolding in the Republic of Niger continues to pose an ever greater danger for millions of vulnerable children in the country.

“The current situation is of great concern and adds a heavy burden to an already dire humanitarian landscape, where the prevalence of severe malnutrition amongst children is extremely high - one of the worst in West and Central Africa.

“At present, more than two million children have been impacted by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

“Even before the recent civil unrest and political instability in Niger, an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of 5 were forecast to be malnourished in 2023, with at least 430,000 children expected to suffer from the deadliest form of malnutrition. This is a figure likely to rise if food prices continue to spike and an economic downturn hits families, households, and incomes.”

“UNICEF continues to deliver humanitarian support to children throughout the country and has shipped Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to 1,300 health centres in July, which will treat 100,000 children in the coming months as the lean season continues. However, it is far from being enough”

“With recent electricity shortages, and 95 per cent of cold chain infrastructure in the health system dependent on electricity, more needs to be done to ensure childhood vaccines and other supplies are not at risk.’

“We are alarmed that our life-saving supplies remain stranded at different entry points to the country and must urgently make their way to landlocked Niger. Right now, UNICEF has two containers stuck on the Benin border with essential cold chain equipment; 19 containers in the port of Cotonou, with immunization and cold chain equipment; and 29 containers destined for Niger currently at sea, with therapeutic food supply and syringes.

"These life-saving supplies for malnutrition treatment and immunization are at risk of losing their effectiveness for the children we serve, if they are further delayed in entering Niger and exposed to the elements.

“UNICEF urgently calls on all parties to the crisis to ensure that humanitarian workers and supplies safely reach the most vulnerable children and families where urgently needed. We also ask that critical humanitarian programmes are safeguarded against the impact of sanctions and funding cuts.

Power Cuts Threaten to Spoil Millions of Vaccines 

The U.N. is spending over 20 times more money than usual on fuel for generators to keep millions of vaccines in Niger from spoiling due to incessant power cuts. The outages are the result of severe economic and travel sanctions imposed by regional countries after mutinous soldiers toppled the country’s president last month.

Country representative for the United Nations Children’s Fund in Niger, Stefano Savi, told The Associated Press on Monday that it has spent $200,000 powering generators to keep vaccines, including for polio and rotavirus, across the country cold during the first three weeks of August. That’s up from approximately $10,000 a month previously and might soon run out of money, he said.

Niger relies on neighboring Nigeria for up to 90% of its power, but after soldiers ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July, Nigeria cut off part of its electricity supply as part of sanctions imposed by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.

The sanctions are taking a toll on the population with the price of goods rising, residents unable to easily access cash, and people living in the dark. Now there are mounting concerns it will gravely impact the health system, particularly the ability to keep some 28 million vaccine doses in the country cold.