Médecins Sans Frontières - Agadez

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB125939

Date taken / Date Recorded 05/26/2022 2:25 PM

Country Niger

Commissioning section MSF-ITALY

Photographer / videographer / producer Giuseppe La Rosa

Copyright Giuseppe La Rosa/MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 7m23s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 817.55 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Captions

Kingsley – a migrant in transit from Nigeria

0:21 When crossing the desert, you see skeletons of people that died along the road.

There is no water in the desert, no food. At times, you do two or three days without drinking or eating.

There are drivers that leave migrants along the road

along the Sahara Desert.

So many of them die. It’s so risky.

Cross-border and internal movements of people continue unabated in the country. In the first quarter of 2022, an estimated 17,677 people entered the western Niger regions of Tillabéri and Tahoua from Mali. In March, the continued violence in northwest Nigeria pushed around 8,629 people into Niger's Maradi region.

Dr Facèli Kourouma - Medical manager in Agadez

1:00 So, there are those who pass through the city of Agadez

and continue the journey from here to Dirkou

and from Dirkou to Libya.

Others, however, pass through here

in the direction of Arlit

and from Arlit towards Assamaka.

There are those who decide to pass through Tibaraten to reach Algeria.

Youssouf – a migrant in transit from Liberia

1:18 The money I had I finished along the road

I have no way to continue my journey.

Do you know about the crossing of the desert?

Yes, I’ve heard about it.

They say it’s bad.

But it’s the only way. If I have to go I will go.

I just want to leave.

I want to leave to go and work and make things good for my people

Make my mum happy, my father, my sisters and brothers.

They are very poor.

They have food, but it’s not sufficient for them.

Michael – a migrant in transit from Nigeria

1:57 The problem now is that I’m confused.

I’m mentally confused. I don’t know where to start.

The soldiers maltreated us (in Libya). They raped some of the women, and they even raped some men.

If we talked, they would beat us.

The way they were maltreating us was very bad. Some of the people from our group…we have not seen them today.

They came to the prison where we were and took them.

We didn’t see them again.

Two guys that were on the journey with us. they weren’t among the people that we were deported with.

We don’t know if they are dead or alive.

I don’t know… it’s terrible.

Dr Rose Okongo Mental health manager in Agadez

2:33 The situation of migrants from a mental health perspective

remains of great concern because

migration creates difficult situations that can cause

health deficits in migrants.

We are talking about depression, psychological distress.

Precious – a migrant in transit from Nigeria

3:00 I’ve been Libya for the past four years.

They told me that I was going to Europe

but when I got to Libya

it turned out that

I wouldn't go to Europe. I would have to stay in Libya

to do prostitution work

Most of the girls are pregnant

due to prostitution.

Migrants are suffering in Libya.

They told me to abort the baby.

I said no. I could never do such a thing in my life.

I’ve already done abortions before. The time that I was doing prostitution work.

But I can’t abort this one.

Sumoiwuo – a migrant in transit from Sierra Leone

3:42 My mother passed away. I don’t have a mother. I don’t have a father.

I don’t have anybody to get me out of prison. Almost one year I spent in prison

They always give you a small piece of bread.

And plenty of water.

They ask you to call your family for money. If you don’t call for money you die at that place.

They beat you for money. They say call your family to send money.

If your family don’t send money, you die in prison.

The phenomenon of returning migrants is also increasing. According to data provided by Alarme Phone Sahara, about 8,200 people were expelled from Algeria to Niger in the first quarter of 2022. Although the exact numbers are unclear, hundreds of people were also expelled from Libya to Niger during this period.

4:29 There are departing migrants, returning migrants, migrants in transit.

And among them I would also talk about the "wandering" migrants

which are all those migrants who have been deported

and have not given up on the idea of returning voluntarily to their country

and who find themselves stuck wandering around the city of Agadez.

4:49 We don’t have food to eat.

No sleeping places.

4:56 All my money, everything I had

was taken by the Algerian military.

I was left here.

The biggest difficulty is housing

They don’t have places to stay. Some of them stay around the parks.

They sleep in the desert. They don’t have houses to stay, and food to eat.

Joy – a migrant in transit from Nigeria

5:21 I don’t have money.

They said ‘you have to go to Libya’.

But there is a little problem in Libya.

So, we have to stay here

to look for money and go back to Nigeria.

Do you want to get to Libya?

No.

You changed your mind?

Yes. I was pregnant in Nigeria

So, I came here to give birth to her.

Are you travelling alone?

Yes.

Monique - sexual and reproductive health manager in Agadez

5:51 There are girls who get stuck here

and forced into prostitution to earn a living and move on,

forced to prostitute themselves to eat.

And at the same time try to save some money to be able to leave.

Maryam – a migrant in transit from Nigeria

6:06 The police and soldiers jumped the fence.

They enter in our compound to disturb us, sometimes they would ask us for money.

If we did not give them any, they would arrest us, bringing us to (police) station.

After we give them our papers, we give them everything, they still arrest us

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) offers support to migrants by providing basic medical care and psychological assistance.

MSF provides personal cleaning kits to migrants in ghettos and women forced into prostitution to alleviate the inhumane conditions in which they are forced to live.

6:39 They are helping me.

They are really trying. They are helping me a lot.

They took me to the hospital

Even when I was in the desert, they took me to the hospital

And they said any time I’m having pains, I should just call them

With that they show me they’ll take full charge of my pregnancy, and I don’t have to worry.

Agadez is a complex migration crossroad where people stranded are increasingly exposed to vulnerabilities. Migrants will seek alternative routes to continue their journey, risking abuse and exploitation. We must restore their dignity, guarantee safe and legal routes for those fleeing and the right of all to be safe, and ensure investment in reception, not deterrence.

Agadez - ENG version

Agadez - ENG version