EU-Niger migration cooperation at risk

euronews (in English)

Once a key partner for the European Union in fighting irregular migration, July’s coup d’état in Niger has put that partnership at risk, with the military junta repealing a key anti-trafficking law in response to EU sanctions.

Transcript

00:00 A far away African country is a source of concern for the EU. According to an EU special

00:09 representative for the Sahel, the coup d`etat that took place in Niger in July was a real

00:14 shock for Brussels. For its part, Brussels has responded by taking restrictive measures.

00:20 We were obliged to suspend all activities because of the coup d`etat. We have been supporting

00:26 the action of the ECOWAS, which has imposed sanctions to the junta in power at the moment

00:32 because we wanted to send a very important sign that unconstitutional changes in countries

00:40 such as the countries of the Sahel are absolutely unacceptable. And of course, this has caused

00:47 the European Union to take decisions regarding its partnership, meaning suspending all the

00:52 activities in development cooperation, in security cooperation, although of course we

00:58 have preserved humanitarian aid because humanitarian aid for the European Union is essential.

01:04 Niger was a key partner for the EU in fighting illegal migration, but now this cooperation

01:11 is at risk. The junta repealed an anti-trafficking law that has been reducing the flows of people

01:16 through the city of Agadez towards the Sahara Desert. It`s a clear retaliation to EU sanctions

01:22 against the junta. What the junta is doing is - you will find out in Italy what is going

01:29 to happen to you - it`s effectively a response to the cessation of aid. But we cannot maintain

01:38 economic aid to a coup d`etat.

01:43 On the flip side, the decision was warmly welcomed by the population of the Agadez region. Many

01:48 Nigerians make their living by transporting migrants.

01:53 (In Spanish)

01:54 If you want to go from Milan to Rome, you have to pay a ticket. Obviously, the ticket

02:00 to Agadez-Gatroun, or Agadez-Gat, or Agadez-Sebha, is much more expensive.

02:10 The anti-trafficking law was also criticized by Niger`s civil society organizations, as

02:15 it could potentially choke the local economy, as explained by this expert.

02:19 (In French)

02:20 Locally, we believe that it`s an ancestral way of living, of doing business, of exchanging.

02:29 We consider that the displacement of the population, especially in the Sahel itself, or to the

02:37 regions of the North, is part of a way of life.

02:43 However, the European Commission fears that without the law in place, human trafficking

02:49 networks could expand.

02:50 (In English)

02:51 The European Commission fears that without the law in place, human trafficking networks

02:52 could expand.

02:52 (whooshing)

02:55 (whooshing)

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