Alessandra Morelli, head of UNHCR in Niger
23 images Created 14 Sep 2020
Alessandra Morelli
For a long time Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been a land of migratory transit to Libya. Today it is instead a land of hospitality, hosting 300,000 refugees - internally displaced persons, fleeing terrorism (Nigeria, Mali and now Burkina Faso), and rescued from Libyan prisons (the latter awaiting humanitarian transfer to Europe). A total of 5 refugee camps, coordinated by Alessandra Morelli, head of Unhcr in Niger. With 20 jihadist groups active in the region, porous borders and extreme political uncertainty, a humanitarian catastrophe is being generated in Sahel. For this reason, according to Morelli, Niger (one of the most militarized nations in the world) is the place from which to start, today, both the fight against international terrorism and the fight against human trafficking. Moreover, from January 2020 Niger will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2 years. Alessandra Morelli is one of the most experienced Italians in Unhcr, she worked for a long time with Grandi and took part in missions in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Somalia (where she was wounded in a bomb attack against her in 2014).
For a long time Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been a land of migratory transit to Libya. Today it is instead a land of hospitality, hosting 300,000 refugees - internally displaced persons, fleeing terrorism (Nigeria, Mali and now Burkina Faso), and rescued from Libyan prisons (the latter awaiting humanitarian transfer to Europe). A total of 5 refugee camps, coordinated by Alessandra Morelli, head of Unhcr in Niger. With 20 jihadist groups active in the region, porous borders and extreme political uncertainty, a humanitarian catastrophe is being generated in Sahel. For this reason, according to Morelli, Niger (one of the most militarized nations in the world) is the place from which to start, today, both the fight against international terrorism and the fight against human trafficking. Moreover, from January 2020 Niger will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2 years. Alessandra Morelli is one of the most experienced Italians in Unhcr, she worked for a long time with Grandi and took part in missions in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Somalia (where she was wounded in a bomb attack against her in 2014).
