Two transit centres in the northern Niger region of Agadez continue
to provide much needed humanitarian assistance to migrants from
West and Central Africa stranded on their way to Europe or who have
been turned back or forcibly returned from neighbouring Libya and
Algeria.

The centres, funded by the Italian Government, provide often
desperate and destitute migrants with temporary lodging, food,
clothing items and hygiene kits as well as basic health care
services as well as counselling on the dangers of irregular
migration.

Voluntary return and reintegration assistance is also provided
by IOM and its partners, which include the Red Cross Society of
Niger, national and local authorities in the districts of Dirkou
and Arlit and representatives from the Italian cooperation in
Niger.

In addition, IOM is developing in cooperation with local
training and financial institutions micro-enterprise and income
generating opportunities for more than 300 vulnerable Nigerien
returnees, which include in-kind assistance and business management
tutoring. 

IOM recently signed a cooperation agreement with the
Crédit Populaire du Niger to put in place a guarantee fund
for further microcredit and technical assistance. 

Since the opening of the centres in November 2009 for Dirkou and
January 2010 for Arlit, IOM and its partners have registered and
assisted 1,446 migrants.  

Over the past years, migrants have used numerous land routes to
try and reach their desired destinations in North Africa and
Europe.

The trans-Saharan journey is generally made in several stages,
and might take anywhere between one month and several years. On
their way, migrants often settle temporarily in towns located on
migration hubs to work and save enough money for their onward
journeys, usually in large trucks or pick-ups.

Although a variety of trans-Saharan routes exists, the majority
of overland migrants enter the Maghreb from Agadez, which is
located on a historical crossroads of trade routes that extend deep
into West and Central Africa.

From Agadez, migration routes branch off to the Sebha oasis in
Libya and to Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. From southern Libya,
migrants move to Tripoli and other coastal cities or to
Tunisia.

From Tamanrasset in Algeria, some migrants move to the northern
cities or enter Morocco via the border near Oujda.  From Oujda
in Morocco, migrants either try to enter the EU by crossing the sea
from the north coast or entering the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta or
Melilla or move to Rabat and Casablanca, where they settle down at
least temporarily.

For further information, please contact:

Abibatou Wane

IOM Niamey

Tel: +227 207 52 507

E-mail: "mailto:awane@iom.int">awane@iom.int