Report on Nigerian Police Violations Against Sudanese Refugees – Agadez Humanitarian Center
Niger:Alsudanianews
The Darfur Victims Support Organization expresses its deep concern over the escalating violations faced by Sudanese refugees in the Republic of Niger, particularly at the Agadez Humanitarian Center, which shelters hundreds of people fleeing the horrors of war in Sudan. What was meant to be a safe haven has instead turned into a site of grave abuses that threaten the lives and dignity of the refugees.
On August 21, 2025, Nigerian police forces, supported by members of the National Electoral Commission, stormed the center using more than 15 military vehicles. The raid resulted in the arbitrary arrest of six Sudanese refugees, including women and mothers of young children, without any judicial warrants or legal justification. Several of those arrested were subjected to beatings and humiliation during the operation before being taken to an undisclosed location, amounting to a clear case of enforced disappearance.
This incident is not isolated. On May 25, 2025, a Sudanese refugee was shot dead by the police during a peaceful protest demanding better living conditions inside the center. Such repeated violations reveal a disturbing pattern of direct targeting of refugees and expose the Nigerian authorities’ failure to uphold their legal and moral obligations under international law—most notably, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Arresting individuals solely based on their identity or refugee status, and denying them the most basic guarantees of justice, is not only a violation of international law but also a blatant assault on human dignity. It underscores the extreme vulnerability of Sudanese refugees seeking safety in Niger.
In light of these events, the Darfur Victims Support Organization calls on the international community to act immediately to protect Sudanese refugees in Agadez. We urge strong pressure on the Nigerian authorities to release all detainees without delay, and to ensure they are not subjected to torture or enforced disappearance. We also call on UNHCR to strengthen its field presence in the center and to accelerate resettlement programs in safe third countries, so that refugees are not left at the mercy of violence and abuse.
The silence of the international community in the face of such practices only paves the way for further crimes and entrenches a culture of impunity. Protecting Sudanese refugees is a collective responsibility, and any neglect of this duty amounts to complicity in the deepening of their suffering.
The Name detainees
1/Mohammed Abdallah ,aged 27
2/Abdallah Hasim, aged 27
3/Imad Yousef,aged 30
4/Zobuida Abdelgabr,aged 33 ,awidow and mother of on child.
5/Huda Mousa , aged 28
Mather of 5 child.
6/Zahara Dawood ,aged 33 ,mother of child
