Niger has been on Africa’s migration route for centuries, particularly the Agadez region. In recent years, travellers heading north have been joined by thousands of people moving south, either expelled from Algeria or returning from Libya. Far from stopping the flow of people, the recent criminalisation of migration by both European and non-European governments has significantly increased the vulnerability of people on the move, whether they are migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, traders or seasonal workers. Forced to avoid the usual routes, people are taking more dangerous ones – across the Ténéré desert and the Aïr Mountains – putting them at risk of exploitation and violence.
MSF has been providing medical and humanitarian assistance in Agadez region since August 2018, to help alleviate the suffering of both people on the move and vulnerable host communities.