The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service flies to the rescue of crisis-affected people in the Sahel
By WFP staff from the west and central bureau
Whether in Mauritania, Mali, Niger, or Chad, the planes and helicopters of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) managed by the World Food Programme (WFP) fly over conflict-affected zones in the Sahel while avoiding bumpy roads to reach remote areas with health and medical equipment, food, and humanitarian workers. UNHAS operations above the Sahelian strip are crucial. Whatever the cost, the cost of saving lives is more valuable.
The Sahel region is one of the many WFP’s crisis operations. In Mauritania, the Malian refugee camp of M’bera is one of the most populated cities in the country, with more than 65,000 people who rely on humanitarian aid for food. In Mali, more than a million people are struggling to feed themselves, and among them, thousands of people do not know where their next meals will come from due to worrying levels of food insecurity, particularly in the hard-to-reach central and northern regions. The current political crisis in Niger and resulting border closures are exacerbating hunger and humanitarian needs that have already reached unprecedented levels in recent years. Here is why: In Chad, 2.1 million people experienced a record level of severe food insecurity in 2023, with a notable deterioration in the east since the Sudanese crisis started.
These multiple crises, climatic, political, and economic, impact the living conditions of populations, infrastructure, and security and hinder humanitarian work. What would happen if aid workers and necessary equipment do not reach those who need them most in these remote and sometimes dangerous areas?
Fly over Mauritania’s damaged roads for rapid intervention
With an area of more than one million square kilometers, Mauritania is one of the largest territories on the African continent. Reaching priority intervention areas often takes several days of travel on bumpy, damaged roads.
“Some supplies are sensitive to move, such as vaccines with a cold chain to respect. It is complicated by road. Here we are in the Sahel, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., temperatures are around 45 degrees, and transport can take three days to complete the journey from Nouakchott to Bassikounou, where the WFP logistics base is located, 18km from the camp”, explains Martin NSEKE, head of UNHAS operations in Mauritania.
The influx of refugees into the M’bera camp has made it one of the most populated towns in the country, representing a priority area for humanitarian action for the deployment of personnel and the delivery of food and medicine, some of them perishables.
“With UNHAS flights, the transport is reduced to 2 hours and 40 minutes, which also helps limit losses. We direct users to thermal transport containers, which keep them cold for the duration of the trip, and we load them on the travel day”.
In October 2023 alone, WFP Mauritania supported more than 68,000 people.
Crucial humanitarian flights to Mali and Niger
Traveling by road is becoming increasingly hard in Mali. In 2023, the quantity of humanitarian equipment transported by UNHAS has more than doubled: vaccines, medicines, energy biscuits, and shelters transported to Gao, Timbuktu, Menaka, Ansongo, and Mopti. In areas like Menaka, to save lives, specialized foods to prevent malnutrition reach vulnerable children, thanks to UNHAS cargo flights.
“UNHAS presence in Mali is essential to facilitate the work of humanitarian and development actors who must reach affected communities, particularly those who rely on our support to maintain their livelihoods,” declared Eric Perdison, WFP Mali Representative and Country Director. “We are working closely with the host government to ensure an adequate response to the growing demand for flights to remote areas where humanitarian operations remain vital.”
In Mali and Niger, 177 humanitarian organizations were able to use the air service in 2023. This represents approximately 1.560 passengers and 2.4 tonnes of goods per month, mainly medicines, medical equipment, or communication equipment.
“UNHAS allows us to go and be in direct contact with our beneficiaries, and above all, to respond pragmatically to the pressing needs given the situation prevailing in the country,” declared Dr. Nounou Mamane, Illimin Coordinator — an initiative aimed at providing non-formal holistic education to adolescent girls in Niger.
In Niger, UNHAS was able to demonstrate flexibility to quickly deploy special flights between Niamey and Ouagadougou in the aftermath of the political crisis, following the closure of commercial flights airspace, and thus allow humanitarian staff to travel outside of the country or to join their duty location. Today, and while waiting for the resumption of regional commercial flights, this service remains essential for the quick mobility of humanitarian staff across the sub-region.
“With the humanitarian needs extend and the Nigerien territory, but also the security and logistical challenges, UNHAS is a service considered critical and indispensable by the humanitarian community in Niger, to ensure the movement of people in complete safety and operational efficiency in favor of affected populations” declared Jean-Noël Gentile, Representative and Director of WFP in Niger.
From West to East, humanitarian workers in Chad are on all fronts
Recently, the conflict in Sudan has forced thousands of people to flee to Chad, which hosts one of the largest and fastest-growing refugee populations in Africa, with more than a million refugees.
“Fear and despair are visible in the eyes of people crossing the border with nothing except heartbreaking stories of violence,” said Pierre Honnorat, WFP Chad country director.
“It’s very difficult for us here. The only thing I have now is my passport,” explains Mahamat, a Sudanese refugee in Adré camp in Chad. “My things were burned. Until now, I have nothing to offer my family. We just eat the food we get from the World Food Programme.”
Humanitarian needs are increasing rapidly, and since April, the UNHAS schedule has been modified twice to ensure the transport and presence of humanitarian workers in the east of the country. In the West, conflicts and population displacements around Lake Chad also require a large-scale humanitarian response.
To respond to this double crisis with opposite locations, UNHAS has a fleet that has facilitated the transport of more than 20,000 people in 2023.
UNHAS provides passenger and cargo transport services that enable the entire humanitarian community and development actors to carry out rapid and effective interventions by air in emergency and protracted crises.
UNHAS operations in the Sahel are supported by Canada, France, Denmark, Germany, Spain, the United States, the IMF, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, and the European Union through the service of the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO).
Despite the support of its donors, UNHAS operations could be suspended in Mali from April 17, 2024, January 21 in Mauritania, and March 24 for Chad without new funding. In Niger, UNHAS will not be able to maintain its services beyond January 2024 with the current fleet. UNHAS would be forced to make major changes to its operations, including the possibility of reducing its services, which would have a significant impact on the mobility and operations of humanitarian organizations.