Since 2012, COOPI has been working in Niger to deal with several emergencies in the country: the Lake Chad crisis in Diffa region, caused by Boko Haram; the crisis in the northern border area with Burkina Faso and Mali (Liptako Gourma); since 2018, the crisis in the Maradi area caused by extreme violence; and since 2023, the precarious situation of migrants in the Agadez region, caused by the rejections from Algeria.
Following the coup d'état on July 26, COOPI decided not to stop its projects in the country. COOPI continues to stand by the most vulnerable people, whose situation is further aggravated by the economic sanctions imposed on the country targeting the access to primary resources.
Currently, there are an estimated 698,000 displaced persons in Niger, including 376,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), 253,000 refugees mainly from Nigeria (66%), Mali (22%) and Burkina Faso (9%), in addition to 35,445 Nigeris returning to Niger due to prevailing insecurity (source Humanitarian Response Plan, OCHA 2023). The regions hosting the largest number of displaced people are Diffa, Tillabéri, Tahoua, Niamey and Maradi.
COOPI is intervening in the Diffa region with protection, emergency education, psychosocial support and mental health actions together with institutional partners such as the Regional Protection, Education and Health Directorates. Applying the same procedures, COOPI also carries out projects in the northern part of the country, Tillabéri and Tahoua, with interventions in the sectores of nutrition and health, through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). In the Maradi area, it works in the sectors of mental health and psychosocial support, as well as in those of primary health and nutrition, whereas in the region of Zinder it carries on projects related to wealth and mental health. In the northen region of Agadez, COOPI offers a humanitarian response to the emergency caused by the intensification of rejections from Algeria, offering multisectoral assistance to migrants.
COOPI's work in Niger is in continuous development and aims to support the most vulnerable members of the beneficiary populations, such as women, children and people with disabilities.