*Dual Appeal- We call both the Government of Niger and UNHCR leadership to restore food, water, healthcare, and safety for Agadez refugees. Please add your name to both petitions:

Niger Government petition → https://www.change.org/FreeAgadez 

Petition to UN High Commissioner Filippo Grandi​, Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements and UNHCR Representative in Niger Emmanuel Gignac

Urgent Action Required - Preventable Humanitarian Crisis at Agadez Humanitarian Centre, Niger

We write to you today as concerned global citizens witnessing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis unfolding under UNHCR's watch.

Families that fled from violence in Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, and other conflict-affected zones now endure desert temperatures exceeding 45°C, dwindling rations and sporadic medical care.

For almost a year, residents of the Agadez Humanitarian Centre have conducted peaceful protests, not for luxury, but for the most basic human rights and dignity. Their voices echo across the desert, demanding that the international community remember its sacred promise to protect those who flee persecution.

A Desert Prison Hidden in Plain Sight

Today, 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers remain stranded in conditions that violate the very principles UNHCR was founded to uphold. 

Since February 2025, food assistance has been suspended for 1,730 people, effectively weaponising aid against peaceful protesters. Monthly food support, already reduced to just $8 per person, is set to be completely eliminated by July 2025. Seven refugees have died in two months due to medical negligence, while children grow up counting protest days instead of birthdays.

Regardless of UNHCR's intentions, the decisions and actions taken so far are further endangering the health and safety of the very people UNHCR is mandated to protect.

A Humanitarian nightmare disguised as aid 

The death of Musab Mohammed Hamad Adam in May 2022 remains uninvestigated despite clear forensic indicators contradicting the “stone-throwing” narrative.  

With only 200 resettlement places allocated for all of Niger against an assessed need of 15,000, the agency has effectively created a system of indefinite detention masked as humanitarian assistance.

The suspension of food aid after the peaceful protests began represents a dangerous precedent that undermines refugee protection globally. These decisions, actions and inactions by UNHCR, regardless of intention, are further endangering the health, dignity and safety of the very people UNHCR is mandated to protect.

When the very organisation tasked with safeguarding vulnerable populations uses survival needs as leverage, it fundamentally betrays the 1951 Refugee Convention's core principles.

What we ask of UNHCR is simple but urgent: 

As concerned citizens and members of a global community, we cannot stand silent while families suffer for demanding basic human rights. The refugees of Agadez are not asking for charity; they are claiming their inherent rights and dignity.

We call equally on the Government of Niger to enable UNHCR’s protection role, unimpeded, to effectively conduct and deliver its mandated humanitarian duties and obligations. 

We understand the logistical and financial challenges confronting UNHCR amid global funding shortages. However, genuine self-reliance for refugees requires not abandonment but empowerment through reliable aid, access to services, and meaningful dialogue.

By reinforcing Nigerien cooperation with robust advocacy and independent oversight, UNHCR can ensure that policy translates into tangible relief and lasting hope. 

Their peaceful voices deserve to be heard, respected, honoured, and not punished.

To uphold both your international obligations and Niger’s constitutional duties, we urge UNHCR to;

1. Fully reinstate food assistance and utilities for all residents of the Agadez Humanitarian Centre, with immediate effect and without condition.
2. Guarantee continuous, comprehensive medical, including medical evacuations and psychosocial services, monitored by an independent health partner within 30 days.
3. Initiate a transparent, independent investigation into the camp's living conditions,  reported medical negligence, all deaths and violence against peaceful protesters and the circumstances surrounding the suspension of aid.
4. Expand resettlement and humanitarian evacuation slots to reflect the assessed need (15,000 nationwide), prioritising women, children, and medical emergencies within 60 days.
5. Establish a direct and meaningful dialogue with the recognised representatives of the refugee community to address their grievances and collaboratively seek durable solutions.

The world is watching…

History will judge how we all responded when people cried out for justice.

We call upon the UNHCR to remember its founding purpose: to protect those who have nowhere else to turn. We believe that by taking these steps, UNHCR can reaffirm its commitment to its mandate and restore faith among the people it serves.

The people of the Agadez Humanitarian Centre have demonstrated extraordinary courage, determination and resilience in maintaining a peaceful protest for 290+ days. 

Now we ask you to show equal courage in protecting them.

Sign and share this petition as widely as possible. It is our active solidarity, numbers and collective power that can compel UNHCR to ACT NOW!

This petition represents the voices of concerned global citizens standing in solidarity with Agadez migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.