Niger and the European Union on Friday 15 July launched an operational partnership to combat migrant smuggling, announced Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Niger’s Minister of the Interior, Hamadou Adamou Souley, during a joint press briefing.
Pilot projects have already been launched and supported by the EU in Niger to prevent migrants from continuing on to Libya or other North African countries and then attempting to reach the EU. Voluntary return projects to the countries of departure of these migrants are coordinated with IOM, among others.
The 15 July partnership will extend some of the actions already carried out, for example in the framework of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in Niger, where, “with EU funding, officials from EU Member States and Niger are combating smugglers”, the Commission explains in a statement. “Since 2017, more than 700 criminals have been arrested and more than 400 court cases have been opened”.
New information and awareness-raising campaigns on the risks of irregular migration and migrant smuggling and on possible alternatives will also be launched.
A working agreement will be signed between Frontex and Niger later this year, the commissioner said, which will “support the Nigerien authorities in integrated border management through capacity building in risk management and analysis”. In the meantime, a working agreement was signed on 15 July between Frontex and the European Union Capacity Building Mission (EUCAP).
A €195 million budgetary support to the ‘NDICI - Global Europe’ instrument, in terms of human development, governance and sustainable and inclusive economic growth, “will support efforts on key reforms and to address security and socio-economic challenges as well as migration management”, the Commission adds. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)