‘We are tired of living like prisoners’: LGBT+ asylum seekers stranded in Niger

A group of LGBT+ refugees from different African countries gathered in front of the UNHCR office in Niamey, Niger, on August 22 to request to be relocated after being stranded in the country for two years. © Observers

After being stranded in Niger for almost two years, a group of LGBT+ asylum seekers in Niamey is growing ever more desperate in their hopes for resettlement. While navigating a country marked by intolerance towards LGBT people, they feel propelled to take more active action and demand the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Niamey take them under their direct mandate for relocation.

A group of LGBT+ asylum seekers gathered in front of the office of the UNHCR in Niamey, Niger on August 22. In the crowd of 25 people, there were nationals from several African countries, including Mali, Ethiopia, and Ivory Coast, while Cameronians were the majority.