- Niger has joined the fight against the prevention of irregular migration. The country’s government has teamed up with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to launch an information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of irregular migration and how to prevent it.
The four-week long campaign is run by IOM with the support of state-owned and private media. It includes road show to towns and villages in the north-eastern region of Tahoua and Maradi, close to the Nigerian border - the communities mostly affected by emigration.
The road show starts in the capital Niamey and will be used as an opportunity for former irregular migrants to recount their ordeals in the hands of smuggling networks.
The campaign, which falls within a programme of inter-regional dialogue between the European Union, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, is funded by the EU Commission, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Most migrants from Niger migrate to other countries in West and Central Africa. A small percentage, however, attempt to reach Europe, with France being the main destination country.
IOM said the campaign will support the government’s efforts to stem irregular migration and inform potential migrants of legal methods of migration so that they can avoid tragedies that befall on irregular migrants: loss of life in the deserts or crossing the sea in unseaworthy dugouts.
IOM is also providing other migration management support to Niger, including supporting efforts on border control issues through the provision of training and equipment, on travel document reinforcement, and in the voluntary return and reintegration of migrants. “This includes assistance provided to 50 migrants who have returned voluntarily from Libya since February 2007,” the migration body said.
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