18/10/2023 (Agence Europe) – The European Union is setting up a humanitarian airlift for Niger – a country that has been under a total blockade by ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) and UEMOA (the West African Economic and Monetary Union) since the military coup on 26 July. Four flights carrying a total of 58 tonnes of essential supplies are planned for humanitarian partners on the ground, the Commission announced on Wednesday 18 October, adding that the first flight had arrived in Niamey. NGOs operating in Niger have experienced disruptions in the supply chain for essential products, and the local population has had to cope with considerable price rises. This aid is in addition to €36.6 million in humanitarian funding in 2023. (AN)