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UNOG Bi-weekly press briefing Western Niger Attack - UNHCR
Western Niger attack leaves 1,100 people ‘on the run’, warns refugee agency
A vicious attack by an armed gang on vulnerable refugees and host communities in western Niger has left more than 1,000 people “on the run”, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, the latest violence in the troubled Liptako Gourma region.
“More than 1,000 people – a mix of refugees from Mali, displaced Niger nationals and local host communities – are now on the run following the brutal attack by irregular armed elements on a site in western Niger on Sunday afternoon which killed three people and wounded others,” said spokesperson Andrej Mahecic.
“Over 50 men on motorbikes had swarmed into Intikane, this is in Tahoua region in Western Niger - some 72 kilometres from the Malian border – they targeted and killed two Malian refugee leaders and a local host community leader. The site is the host to some 20,000 refugees and an additional 15,000 displaced Nigerian nationals.”
Before leaving the scene, the attackers torched food supplies and other aid items, in an apparent move to prevent victims from returning.
“It is clear that this is an area where they seek the possibility of being able to use the border area between the three countries to operate with impunity,” Mr Mahecic explained, in reference to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“They also destroyed mobile phone towers and the main water station and pipes,” he added, noting that the development was just the latest example of instability linked to bands of violent extremists.
“Across the five countries in that region - Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad – we are talking about more than three million people in a situation of displacement,” the UNHCR official said.
Many are internally displaced, and there are more than 820,000 refugees, he added, noting that despite access difficulties, the agency helps to look after them and “the many people, more than 600,000 people who have tried to return to their homes”.
According to UNHCR, around 1,100 people have arrived outside the town of Telemces, some 27 kilometres away from the site of the attack. They urgently need water, food and other assistance, the agency said in a statement, noting that national authorities and partners are on hand to register them.
After highlighting the difficulty of identifying the attackers but noting that similar violent incidents have been on the rise in recent months, Mr Mahecic insisted that the UN agency was stepping up its response to help the most vulnerable.
Nonetheless, the fear of further attacks is driving people to look for safety to further inland in Niger, he warned.
“Judging by the fact that they have destroyed much of the infrastructure, the mobile phone towers, the water facilities in particular, we believe it shows the intent to force the people from this particular area to move elsewhere,” Mr Mahecic said.
In an appeal for justice for victims, the UNHCR official also called for a response from the international community that takes into account the huge humanitarian needs of the region, and not just security considerations.
“We condemn the killings and call on all sides to respect civilian lives, bring those responsible to justice and make sure such heinous crimes do not repeat in the future,” he said. “We are working with partners and local authorities to provide immediate assistance, especially by trucking in water with other relief supplies as people could die of thirst in the desert heat. We are talking about desert conditions.”
- Wide shot: UN Geneva main entrance, elevated view of front gates.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “More than 1,000 people – which is a mix of refugees from Mali, displaced Niger nationals and local host communities – are now on the run following the brutal attack by irregular armed elements on a site in western Niger on Sunday afternoon which killed three people and wounded others.”
- Medium shot: anti-war memorial at the Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “Over 50 men on motorbikes had swarmed into Intikane, this is in Tahoua region in Western Niger - some 72 kilometres from the Malian border – they targeted and killed two Malian refugee leaders and a local host community leader. The site is the host to some 20,000 refugees and an additional 15,000 displaced Nigerian nationals.”
- Wide shot: “broken chair” sculpture at the Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “In addition to the brutal killings of the three men, the assailants also torched food supplies and other aid items. They also destroyed mobile phone towers and the main water station and pipes.”
- Medium shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations facade, flag alley, UN flag in centre of shot.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “Across the five countries in that region - Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad – we are talking about more than three million people in a situation of displacement, of whom many are internally displaced, there is more than 820,000 refugees and also we look after the many people, more than 600,000 people who have tried to return to their homes.”
- Wide shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations, flag alley, UN flag in distance.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “We condemn the killings and call on all sides to respect civilian lives, bring those responsible to justice and make sure such heinous crimes do not repeat in the future. We are working with partners and local authorities to provide immediate assistance, especially by trucking in water with other relief supplies as people could die of thirst in the desert heat. We are talking about desert conditions.”
- Medium shot: anti-war memorial at the Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) – Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): “Judging by the fact that they have destroyed much of the infrastructure, the mobile phone towers, the water facilities in particular, we believe it shows the intent to force the people from this particular area to move elsewhere.”
- Wide shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations, flag alley.
- Wide shot: UN Geneva Palais des Nations, flag alley, filmed from outside the UN compound.
- Wide shot: Place des Nations, Geneva, with UN Geneva across the square.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
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- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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