(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Caroline Vuillemin, director of Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss NGO helping public service media in conflict zones, found herself in the news during a recent trip to Niger. On July 26, just days into her trip to Niamey, the country's capital, the army took over in a surprise coup and closed the country's borders. She was eventually evacuated by French military.The Lausanne-based Fondation Hirondelle runs Studio Kalangou, a news service employing 100 local journalists reporting in five languages in Niger. Vuillemin is concerned for their safety.
SWI: You were in Niger's capital, Niamey, when the coup occurred. Did you get any signs from your staff about what was about to happen?
Caroline Vuillemin: We saw no signs at all. I travelled to Niger with my colleagues from the Central African Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso. We chose to visit Niger because we thought it was the safest of those countries. We arrived on July 24, and I had the final security briefing with my local colleagues the day before. Everything was business as usual at that stage.
SWI: What is the mood now, among your local staff in Niamey and Niger in general?
C.V: People are worried about the situation. There are several factors on their minds: people on both sides feel that this sudden change is adding a new problem to Niger's many problems. What I found very interesting while talking to people in Niamey and also outside the capital is that their main concern is not the military coup. Their main concern is that during the two months when it usually rains, in July and August, it didn't rain enough. The crops are not going to grow, so they are very worried about food security in the coming months. As you know Niger has many nomadic herders who move from one place to another with their camels and sheep. Now they cannot find places with water and grass for their animals.
In addition, they know that major changes are coming up: direct aid has been suspended and a West African political grouping (Ecowas) may intervene using military force. So, people are worried. Our journalists are concerned about these issues and they are aware of the realities on the ground. This is the feedback they get.
SWI: Are local journalists able to work as before?
C.V: Currently there are no threats against our local journalists. They are able to travel within the country. Studio Kalangou runs a news bulletin and a daily debate programme. Lately, it has been difficult to get opposing viewpoints, especially related to the coup. We see a lot of self-censorship.
SWI: Are you worried about the future of your organisation in Niger ?
C.V: Yes. The first concern is the safety and security of the team. As of today, there are no signs from the new power to restrict the freedom of expression, but we know how the situation evolved in Mali and Burkina Faso (after similar coups).
Will the journalists be able to continue to produce the daily news bulletin and daily debate show? We are not sure.
The second concern is that this project is financed by the international community. If the European Union, Switzerland and Germany isolate Niger, we won't be able to finance Studio Kalangou.
SWI: Niger has become the fourth west African state since 2020 to have a coup, following Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali. Are you still able to operate in the region?
C.V: We are still able to work in Mali and Burkina Faso. Our staff is 100% local. Local journalists, local languages, covering local stories. That is an asset, because local media is not as exposed as international media is. That said, it is difficult to produce balanced news, there are some points of view that you cannot air any more, because you would be putting people at risk and you would give a reason for the government to shut you down.
The aim is to remain a service for the population. And maybe adapt some of the programming to cover less of the political situation and fomore on people's concerns such as putting food on the table, getting jobs, and getting on with their day-to-day activities.
SWI: What are some of the major challenges you see in Niger concerning the media?
C.V: There is an enormamount of disinformation circulating. A lot of people rely on information they get on social media including WhatsApp,TikTok and Facebook. Media literacy and digital literacy is very low in Niger. Studio Kalangou does a great job at debunking fake news. For example, we saw pictures and videos shot in Mali or Burkina Faso falsely claiming Niger was the location. Providing reliable information is more important than ever. We would need twice as many journalists to handle the disinformation rampant on social media. I was very surprised, because I was not expecting this. The worst is WhatsApp. I was added to a few local groups, and what I observed was just catastrophic. The app is popular as people don't even have to be able to read, they just listen to audio messages. We saw this during the Covid-19 pandemic but today it is even more rampant.
SWI: How did you manage to leave Niger?
C:V: I was supposed to return to Lausanne on July 29, but the borders were closed and we couldn't book tickets back home. On August 1, I got a call from the Swiss Development Cooperation Office informing me that the French army was arranging a flight for European and Swiss citizens on a voluntary basis. I had to be at the airport at 2 pm. The French army handled the whole procedure at the airport. The packed military plane took off at 8 pm. We arrived in Paris in the middle of the night and I was back in Lausanne the following day.
Edited by Virginie Mangin