Updated: 28 August 2025 15:28:19
6 Sudanese refugees arrested in raid on Agadez camp in Niger
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Nigerian authorities arrested six Sudanese refugees from a camp on the outskirts of the northern city of Agadez. They were prominent organizers of ongoing protests against poor conditions and the lack of resettlement opportunities. The whereabouts of those arrested in the August 21 police raid remain unknown.
Refugees in the camp believe the arrests were in retaliation for the six individuals participation in the protests, and an attempt to pressure camp residents to end the daily demonstrations that have been ongoing for nearly a year.
Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, told The New Humanitarian via email that the arrests "may constitute enforced disappearance, a serious violation of Nigers obligations under human rights law."
Lawlor added, "All six of those arrested were members of a committee that peacefully organized to defend the rights of refugees in Agadez. I consider them human rights defenders."
She called for their "immediate and unconditional release."
Eyewitnesses who spoke to The New Humanitarian said the arrests included the use of force and took place in the presence of government officials from Nigers National Commission for Asylum Eligibility.
The Agadez Humanitarian Center currently houses approximately 1,900 people, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), most of whom are from Sudan. Refugees at the center have been staging demonstrations since September 22 of last year.
Protesters gather daily to demand evacuation or resettlement and to draw attention to the deteriorating conditions and lack of local integration options.
The Agadez camp was established in 2018 and is jointly managed by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Nigerien authorities. UNHCR refers to the facility as the "Agadez Humanitarian Center."
A previous round of protests organized by refugees outside the UNHCR office in Agadez in 2020 was violently dispersed by Nigerien authorities, and the camp was almost completely burned down.
