Part 1: The Foundation of a Lie: Unpacking the Centre's True Purpose
Part 1 of DEBUNKING UNHCR: Aid, Lies, and Migration in Agadez, Niger series. exposing the omissions, lies, and inaccuracies in UNHCR narratives.
In a recent response to the question “Please provide some details about the Humanitarian Centre near Agadez. When was it established, for what purpose, and who are the people living there?” from United Against Inhumanity, UNHCR presented a sanitised version of life at the Agadez Humanitarian Centre, claiming to provide adequate services and promote “self‑reliance.”
This narrative is not only false, but it is intentionally repeated by UNHCR, and many times, these lies and omissions have had and continue to have deadly consequences for refugees at the centre.
You can find the full DEBUNKING UNHCR: Aid, Lies, and Migration in Agadez, Niger series by following the links below.
Introduction: DEBUNKING UNHCR: Aid, Lies, and Migration in Agadez, Niger
Part 1 - You are already here 📍🙋🏾♀️
Part 2 - “Services Available?” A Masterclass in Gaslighting
Part 3: The Refugee Status Revocation Scandal
Part 4: Coming Soon
Part 5: Coming Soon
Part 6: Coming Soon
The Foundation of a Lie: Unpacking the Centre’s True Purpose
The Unfiltered Truth: Origins and Purpose of the UNHCR Run Migrants and Refugee Centre in Agadez
UNHCR’s sanitised origin story is a lie by omission that conveniently fails to mention how European political and financial pressures have influenced the role, scope and independence of UNHCR and its protection mandate.
The Agadez Humanitarian Centre is one of the few examples worldwide of extraterritorial asylum processing across two continents. It began in 2017, when the EU, UNHCR, and the Government of Niger launched the Libya-Niger Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM). Touted as a humanitarian solution to exploitation and abuse in Libyan detention centres, people seeking asylum were deported from Libyan and Algerian detention centres to camps like these in the Nigerien desert for “safer transit” while waiting for their claims to be evaluated and for resettlement in third countries.
From its inception, the Centre was opposed by government officials in the region, regional NGOs, and asylum seekers themselves, who warned against making Niger a container for migrants and called for the EU and UNHCR to live up to their international law resettlement obligations.
According to research by StateWatch, Niger received more funding from the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) than any other state, with €266 million committed by 2018 and a further €29 million in 2023. The funding was mainly used for patrolling the desert, stopping migrants north of Agadez on their way to Northern Africa, and building and reinforcing infrastructure to receive deportees to Niger.
For critics of the ETM, UNHCR’s role in this partnership was to shield the EU from further scrutiny and condemnation by adding “a protection factor in EU externalisation policies, which were often criticised for being security and exclusion focused...”
Following the 2023 coup, many EU cooperation projects with Niger have been put on hold or closed down; however, projects implemented by international organisations, such as the IOM and UNHCR, are still running despite being EU-funded.
BEFORE WE CONTINUE, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO DO THE FOLLOWING ;
📝SIGN BOTH PETITIONS NOW
Niger Government Petition (targeting 50,000 signatures)
UNHCR Leadership Petition (targeting 50,000 signatures)
📖READ AND SHARE ‘The Book of Shame’: Download it free, pass it on, and let the world hear from those most affected
Annnd back to the article.
❓🙋🏿Our Questions to UNHCR
UNHCR’s decision to omit from its narrative the adverse impact the EU’s migration and security agenda has had on the rights and protections available to migrants, and not to make explicit the conflict of interest that arises when they are funded by the very same system that plays a leading role in creating and exacerbating the problem, is concerning.
It is another example of UNHCR’s repeated failure to demonstrate good faith by being transparent and accountable to those it is mandated to protect. They have opted instead to present a sanitised narrative that hides the insidious ways in which money, race, and power influence who is seen as worthy of asylum, leaving us with more questions.
We would like to know from UNHCR:
❓ Why have you deliberately omitted the central role of EU border externalisation policies, funding, and political pressure in shaping the Centre’s purpose and operations?
❓ Specifically, how do these EU policies and financial pressures influence the scope, role, and independence of your mandate to protect refugees in Agadez and North Africa?
❓ What concrete work have you done between 2018 and 2025 to hold the EU accountable? This includes:
Advocating for the EU to meet its refugee protection and resettlement obligations under international law, not outsource them to third countries like Niger or Rwanda, as the UK has been attempting to do, and Papua New Guinea in the case of Australian policy.
Demanding safe passage and investigating state-led human rights violations, including non-assistance to boats.
Publicly challenging the role of Frontex and EU funding that directly leads to documented human rights abuses.
Here are the ways you can help!
Silence enables this crisis to continue. Authorities and international agencies are counting on the world to look away and we cannot afford to!
All the infrastructure for victory exists and the system can be held accountable, BUT only when we refuse to be silent.
📝SIGN BOTH PETITIONS NOW
Niger Government Petition (targeting 50,000 signatures)
UNHCR Leadership Petition (targeting 50,000 signatures)
📖READ AND SHARE ‘The Book of Shame’: Download it free, pass it on, and let the world hear from those most affected
💶DONATE: Organisations like Refugees in Libya (https://www.refugeesinlibya.org/donate) are the last few organisations supporting the people of Agadez. These organisations are chronically underfunded, so make sure you support those who support others
⚖️ VISIT OUR ACTION ALERT TAB: Take immediate action here - Choose from multiple ways to help based on your capacity and location. This section is regularly updated.
📢 AMPLIFY FRONTLINE VOICES: @MrsalAhmd95964 | @mayor_refugees @refugeesniger | @RefugeesTunisia @RefugeesinLibya @yousef_ism58349 | and follow/use the #KeepEyesOnAgadez across all socials.
📰 NO TWITTER? Get live updates: Agadez in Real Time RSS Feed - Because silence is the enemy of justice.
🗣 TALK ABOUT AGADEZ: Talk about Agadez with your friends, colleagues, neighbours, siblings, children, spouse, parents. Help include them in our actions, help them understand that others face unimaginable challenges and they too can do something to ensure the people of Agadez have the same opportunities for life and safety
📱 Forward this post to friends, family, journalists, faith leaders, EU officials, etc.
