Security threat in south-central Niger

Sources reported on 16 August 2010 that Western staff of several aid groups in the Maradi and Zinder regions, located in south-central Niger, are being evacuated to Niamey, the capital, following several unspecified security threats. Some staff members are being transported with armed military escort. Unconfirmed reports indicated that the threats involved kidnapping warnings issued by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the terrorist organization that operates in North Africa. Some sources also indicated that all U.N. agencies and charities are in the process of pulling their Western nationals from these regions. The development comes after a 13 August Warden Message issued by the U.S. Embassy in Niamey warning against travel to the area and indicating that Nigerien authorities are enhancing security for foreigners. The number of foreign aid workers recently increased as the U.N.’s World Food Program launched operations to address a serious food crisis, which has left approximately 8 million people hungry in the country. The suspension of some aid efforts could seriously aggravate humanitarian conditions in the country.