InfoMigrants: Why did the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) decide to stop distributing food vouchers to migrants housed in the Agadez center? 

Eujin Byun: The decision to cut food aid was a particularly difficult one. It was part of a planned transition towards greater self-reliance for refugees and asylum seekers, particularly through vocational training.

The food vouchers worth 22,000 CFA francs (nearly 33 euros) per month allowed migrants to purchase food from stores in Agadez. 

UNHCR has been engaging with refugees and asylum seekers since 2024 to inform and help them with this transition from comprehensive assistance to a targeted approach, founded on the needs of the most vulnerable refugees.

This transition, unfortunately, had to be accelerated due to cuts in global humanitarian funding.

UNHCR, which still employed nearly 20,000 staff members at the end of September 2024, has been severely impacted by the drastic reduction in foreign aid from its largest donor, the United States. US funding represented approximately 40 percent of its budget.

Other essential forms of assistance, such as shelter, education, healthcare, psychosocial support, access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, will continue.

We are also strengthening our efforts to develop livelihoods and support inclusion, empowerment, resilience, and access to sustainable solutions for refugees.

Approximately 2,000 migrants, including women and children, are housed in the Agadez humanitarian center. Most are from Sudan, but there are also a few Cameroonians and Central Africans.

The Agadez center, which opened in 2018, accommodates refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom were expelled by Algerian forces in the middle of the desert. "There are 800 registered refugees among them. The rest are asylum seekers waiting for their asylum applications to be processed [by the Nigerien authorities],” said Emmanuel Gignac, the former UNHCR representative in Niger, interviewed in April by InfoMigrants.

Migrants at the center have been protesting daily for over 250 days, demanding to leave the Agadez center and be transferred to another location or a third country. The situation in the camp has been very tense in recent months.

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InfoMigrants: How will vulnerable people be selected to continue benefiting from this food aid?

E.B.: People with specific protection needs will continue receiving food aid. This includes unaccompanied children, people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women, caregivers with multiple dependents, and people suffering from serious illnesses.

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These criteria are established according to international humanitarian standards to ensure that the most vulnerable receive the support they need. They have been decided with all the humanitarian actors and discussed with refugees and asylum seekers.

InfoMigrants: How many vulnerable people have been identified?

E.B.: Approximately 270 people have been identified so far to continue benefiting from food assistance.

This list is subject to change. Monthly assessments will be conducted to ensure that assistance is adapted to changing needs and individual circumstances.

InfoMigrants: The migrants contacted by our editorial team say they are very concerned about these cuts and fear they won't be able to feed themselves. What is your response?

E.B.: We hear these concerns and take them very seriously. To ensure open dialogue and preparation for this transition, awareness sessions for refugees and asylum seekers on the reduction in food aid have been organized over the past few months.

We reaffirm our commitment to protect the dignity and rights of all displaced persons. We also encourage asylum seekers and refugees to take advantage of the vocational training opportunities available to them, as well as the income-generating activities offered.

Working closely with national authorities and our humanitarian partners, we strive to continue supporting the most vulnerable while continuing our mobilization for durable solutions amid current global challenges.

We continue advocating with donors to strengthen our capacity to integrate more refugees into livelihood programs. So far, funding for UNHCR's operations in Niger in 2025, estimated at US 138 million US dollars, is only 24 percent secured. Urgent support is essential to leave no one behind.

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InfoMigrants: Training programs are being organized to enable migrants to become financially independent. Are there enough of them to meet the needs of all 2,000 migrants housed in the Agadez camp?

We are gradually strengthening vocational training initiatives and income-generating activities to offer the prospect of autonomy to a growing number of people. 

Approximately 270 people have been identified so far to continue benefiting from food assistance.

Dozens of vocational training positions remain available for refugees at the regional level, depending on the local labor market. We also collaborate with the University of Agadez and benefit from the support of the Sultanate of Aïr, in the Agadez region, which has provided ten hectares of arable land to support agricultural activities.

In 2024, 213 people who had expressed a wish to participate in the automation program – refugees and members of host communities – have already benefited from various initiatives. Among them, 60 households have received vocational training in 11 areas; 30 people have participated in farming activities; two village associations for savings and loans have been established for 30 refugees; 20 women have joined an agricultural transformation unit; 30 people have received driver's licenses; and 12 cooperatives have been established.

We are fully aware that there is still a lot left to accomplish, and we call on the international community to intensify its support to further expand these livelihood opportunities.

It is important to emphasize that the Agadez Humanitarian Center is not a camp, but a developed space with housing, where refugees and asylum seekers enjoy full freedom of movement within Niger. They are not required to remain in the center or in the city of Agadez.

To leave the region, a resident of the center must obtain a document signed by the Regional Directorate of Civil Status. Some migrants described to InfoMigrants their experience of attempting to settle elsewhere but being stopped on the road and forced to return to the facility by the authorities.

InfoMigrants: Migrants contacted by InfoMigrants often mention the difficulties (or even the impossibility) of integration in the region. What is your response?

E.B.: We understand the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers, particularly in the extreme climatic conditions of Agadez. Niger is a country facing numerous challenges, which also impact the communities hosting refugees.

Yet many refugees have managed to integrate locally, developing agricultural, artisanal, or commercial activities with courage and perseverance.

We encourage everyone to seize available opportunities with determination, while remaining fully committed to expanding these opportunities and creating a more favorable environment for dignified and sustainable integration.

In a context of a declining number of resettlement places offered by governments around the world [particularly in Europe, editor's note] and persistent crises in the countries where most refugees come from, local integration appears to be the option currently available to most refugees.