Niger’s military government has rescinded Law 36-2015, which had previously criminalized the transportation of migrants from Agadez to Libya and Algeria with the intention of reaching Europe. This action has nullified prior convictions and terminated an eight-year security collaboration between the European Union and Niger, further complicating the diplomatic tensions between the government and its Western allies since the military takeover in July.
The European Union compelled the Nigerien government to enact the law in response to the surge in migration to Europe. Following the law’s implementation after the country’s 2016 election, region experienced widespread repercussions when a once risky but comparatively safer and voluntary migration path abruptly ceased to exist. Advocates and supporters of Niger’s law have consistently argued that it has effectively deterred traffickers. Nevertheless, experts have contested that the decreased migration numbers to Europe through the Sahel do not accurately represent the true situation.
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) denounced the seizure of power and halted its financial assistance to Niger, while France’s independent reaction was perceived as a careful measure to avoid compromising its migration agreement with the West African nation.
