In Niger, IOM seeks to provide lifesaving assistance to crisis-affected populations in the southern regions of Niger, as well as to vulnerable Nigerien migrants within Niger or stranded abroad, as well as to foreign migrants, the majority from Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS - countries, stranded in Niger (mainly in the Agadez region) who have expressed their willingness to return to their countries of origin.
This is complemented by the promotion of social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between host communities, IDPs and migrants and reduction of factors of instability that could lead to irregular and forced migration through community stabilization and peacebuilding interventions in regions affected by displacement and migration. IOM Niger further envisions to scale up its level of assistance in crisis-prone areas to foster enhanced resilience to shocks.
Niger continues to face multiple crises, occurring in the context of a worsening security situation.
In January 2012, the Central Sahel crisis erupted with the conflict in northern Mali. The instability later extended beyond the Malian borders, affecting the Liptako-Gourma region in particular, which includes northern Burkina Faso and western Niger – specifically the regions of Tillabéri and Tahoua.
In the south-east of Niger, the Diffa region is affected by the Lake Chad Basin crisis, a multifaceted humanitarian crisis that has impacted Niger, Cameroon, and Chad since insecurity started spreading from Nigeria in 2014. Meanwhile, the south-west of Niger has witnessed an increase in banditry and activity of non-state armed groups (NSAG) which spilled over into the Maradi (2016) and Tahoua (2019) regions from north-west Nigeria through the second half of the decade.
The Niger-Chad-Libya triangle region is further affected by the presence of armed actors operating mostly through robbery in a no man’s land area along new migratory routes between Niger and Libya. At the same time, tension over the control of gold resources has been contributing to pervasive insecurity and violence in the second half of the 2010s.
This complex humanitarian, conflict and security situation led to multiple displacement dynamics. As of September 2021, in Diffa there were 67,817 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 35,445 returnees in addition to 129,835 Nigerian refugees according to displacement data provided by the Direction Régionale de l’État Civil, des Migrations, et des Réfugiés (DREC). In Tahoua and Tillabéri, the DREC recorded 157,804 IDPs (in addition to 57,329 Malian refugees). The Maradi region hosts 17,262 IDPs in addition to 57,122 Nigerian refugees.
In addition, since 2017, IOM has observed an increasing trend of non-Nigerien migrants arriving from Algeria in Niger and dropped 15 km away from the nearest town. From September 2017 to October 2021, IOM has recorded 43,089 migrants, of which 6,552 in 2021 alone, with migrants walking kilometres to access water and shelter and in dire need of life-saving assistance.
On 20 June 2021, the Governor of the Diffa region launched an operation for the voluntary return of IDPs as part of President Bazoum’s efforts aimed at the restoration of state authority and the re-establishment and/or strengthening of bonds of trust between populations and the State. Support from agencies was requested to implement actions towards durable solutions and ending the displacement situation of individuals.
In parallel, natural disasters tend to intensify and diversify (e.g., floods, droughts, wildfires), endangering lives and affecting livelihoods. Furthermore, besides posing a continuous threat on public health and representing a significant risk for people on the move who might be more vulnerable and exposed, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to substantially impact the socio-economic status of migrants. A cholera epidemic declared in August in 2021 further deteriorated the health situation in the country, affecting almost all regions of Niger, especially the regions of Maradi, Tahoua, and Zinder, where it became a trans-border issue, also affecting neighbouring Nigeria.
IOM Niger is the co-lead of the shelter/non-food items (NFI) working group (GTABNA in French), together with the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management (MHA). As co-lead, IOM provides technical guidance to the Ministry on shelter and NFI responses in Niger but also coordinates with other humanitarian actors to identify gaps and provide a principled standardized response in emergency shelters, transitional shelters and NFIs.
Moreover, IOM participates in the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), and is the focal point for the ICCG at the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). IOM is also an active member of the rapid response mechanism (RRM) in Niger that provides assistance to crisis-affected populations and of the protection, health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) clusters, which enable efficient coordination between stakeholders, identifying possibilities for cooperation as well as needs in the respective sectors of intervention.
Additionally, IOM supports the Cadre de Concertation sur les Migrations (CCM), in charge of migration coordination at central and regional level. IOM is the lead agency for the United Nations Network on Migration, chaired by the Resident Coordinator (RC). IOM collaborates closely with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Women Promotion and Child Protection and Ministry of Justice, including the juvenile justice system, the National Agency for Counter Trafficking to offer assistance to unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) and victims of trafficking (VoT) across the country, as well as with the national crisis prevention and management system.
In collaboration with the MHA, IOM implements its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) to track mobility trends of IDPs and assess their basic humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities. IOM is also a member of the information management working group in which data is regularly shared to allow for evidence-based programming. IOM also participates in the UN Country Team (UNCT).
Lastly, IOM collaborates with national authorities at the central and local level – including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Haute Autorité à la Consolidation de la Paix (HACP) and local actors including mayors and the préfectures - in support of peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts.
IOM has been active in Niger since 2006 and significantly expanded its operations since then. With its main office in Niamey and sub-offices across the country (Tillabéry, Tahoua, Arlit, Agadez, Dirkou, Zinder, Maradi and Diffa), the Organization is present in all but one region in Niger. Its long-lasting presence, both in Niamey and in the field, has allowed for the development of strong working relationships with the Government of Niger at national, regional and local levels, as well as with traditional leaders (sultans, village chiefs and community-based organizations).
IOM directly implements several programmes and activities and partners with government authorities, local and international organisations to deliver assistance to hard-to-reach areas. IOM has deepened its collaboration with the Government of Niger (GoN) throughout the COVID-19 crisis, working to support stranded migrants in Niger and negotiating humanitarian corridors to allow third-country nationals (TCN) to safely return to their countries of origin.
As the humanitarian context derives from a chronic, structural lack of development and governance gaps, IOM, in collaboration with key partners, applies a humanitarian-development-nexus approach which is best suited to simultaneously respond to immediate needs and tackle drivers of vulnerability and instability.
Through its Migration Data and Research Unit and displacement-related data collection, including through village assessment surveys (VAS), emergency tracking tool (ETT), the stability index (SI), and the flow monitoring points (FMPs) in the north of Niger recording information on forced returns from Algeria and Libya, IOM has developed a deep understanding of migratory patterns and routes in Niger, as well as the motives for those embarking on their migration journey. These findings are used to adapt programming and support the humanitarian community in data management, for instance routinely sharing with the GoN and partners for evidence-based policymaking.