NIAMEY, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The government of Niger announced the abolition of the headquarters agreement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and ordered it to close offices in the country and immediately evacuate its foreign employees, according to a verbal note dated Jan. 31.

A Nigerien civil society figure who works with the ICRC said it was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that denounced the organization's headquarters agreement. Since the head of the ICRC has the rank of diplomat, a verbal note is enough to make the government's decision official.

According to local media, the ICRC received the note on Feb. 4 and published the results of its work in Niger during the first half of 2024 on its official website the same day.

The ICRC said in its report that it entered Niger in 1990, with offices in Diffa, Tillaberi and Tahoua; it provided medical services to 121,236 victims of armed conflicts in the first half of 2024.

To date, neither side has responded when asked to comment. Enditem

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