People smuggling

WHY NIGER IS WEST AFRICA’S PEOPLE-SMUGGLING HUB

Libya’s status as the preferred departure point for African migrants and refugees seeking to reach Europe has been well-documented.

But the finding of 34 bodies in the Sahara Desert has highlighted the role of Niger as a key transit point for West Africans journeying from their home countries with dreams of settling in Europe. The discovery of the bodies—which included 20 children—was reported on Thursday, with Nigerian Interior Minister Bazoum Mohamed saying that the migrants appeared to have been abandoned by smugglers and died of thirst between June 6-12.

...“Migrants and smugglers, everyone knows that it’s easy to cross the border [into Libya],” says Loprete, who also says that armed conflicts in other potential transit countries—such as those waged by Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in northern Mali and Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria —mean that Niger has become the best of a bad bunch of possible routes. “Nobody’s going through Mali right now, or very few. Same for Nigeria and Boko Haram-controlled areas,” says Loprete.

Next, the harsh conditions make the region difficult to police. The journey from Agadez to the Libyan border takes between three and six days of driving through sandstorms and searing temperatures that can reach between 40-50°C (104-122°F).