Denmark resumes its development aid to Niger

Denmark will partially resume its development aid to Niger, suspended after the military coup, the Scandinavian country's foreign minister announced on Tuesday.

“The population of Niger is on the verge of catastrophe, with a potential influx of refugees as a result. Of course, we cannot turn a blind eye to this situation,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the newspaper Politiken.

The global south is "the most important priority right now, in light of the war in Ukraine, military coups in Africa and the Danish candidacy for the Security Council," he said. specifying that it was "obvious that the subjects of cooperation differ slightly depending on whether it is a democratic government or not" .

The terms of resumption of aid must be determined but it is not a question of completely relaunching the program of 920 million crowns (123 million euros) committed over five years in the spring.

At the beginning of September, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called for "breaking with any logic of collective punishment" to limit the effect on the Nigerien populations of economic sanctions imposed since the July 26 coup d'état which overthrew elected President Mohamed . Bazoum .

Several countries such as France , Germany and the Netherlands , as well as the European Union (EU) have suspended their development aid to Niger.