ABIDJAN: NGOs in the violence-wracked Sahel region are dangerously caught between military juntas who accuse them of being spies, and militants who view them as symbols of Western influence.
In the world terror epicenter, nearly 30 million people rely on humanitarian aid provided by non-governmental organizations and international bodies.
“The need is mostly concentrated in the central Sahel” in junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger where assistance is critical to nearly 15 million people, according to the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA.
Since seizing power, the juntas have made sovereignty and the fight against militants their priority, leaving NGOs and organizations that receive funding from abroad under increased pressure.
In Burkina Faso, 21 NGOs had their permits to operate in the country revoked in the space of just one month between June and July, for what the authorities said were administrative reasons.
