UNHCR Niger

A Niamey, tableau peint pour l’ONG nigérienne JMED, qui lutte contre la pauvreté pour retenir les jeunes qui veulent partir. • Crédits : Catherine Guilyardi - De facto 2019

La France a adhéré en 2017 à l’Emergency Transit Mechanism, programme humanitaire exceptionnel permettant à des réfugiés évacués d’urgence de Libye (reconnus "particulièrement vulnérables") d’être pris en charge dès le Niger, et réinstallés dans des pays sûrs. Comment cela passe-t-il aujourd'hui ?

De nouveaux naufrages cette semaine au large de la Libye nous rappellent à quel point est éprouvant et risqué le périple de ceux qui tentent de rejoindre l’Europe après avoir fui leur pays. Partagée entre des élans contradictoires, compassion et peur de l’invasion, les pays de l’Union européenne ont durci leur politique migratoire, tout en assurant garantir le droit d’asile aux réfugiés. C’est ainsi que la France a adhéré à l’Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), imaginé par le HCR fin 2017, avec une étape de transit au Niger.

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies pour les Réfugiés (HCR) réinstalle chaque années des réfugiés présents dans ses camps (Liban, Jordanie, Tchad ou encore Niger) dans des pays dits ‘sûrs’ (en Europe et Amérique du Nord). La réinstallation est un dispositif classique du HCR pour des réfugiés "particulièrement vulnérables" qui, au vu de la situation dans leur pays, ne pourront pas y retourner.

Au Niger, où se rend ce Grand Reportage, cette procédure est accompagnée d’un dispositif d’évacuation d’urgence des prisons de Libye. L’Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) a été imaginé par le HCR fin 2017, avec une étape de transit au Niger. Nouvelle frontière de l'Europe, pour certains, le pays participe à la sélection entre migrants et réfugiés, les migrants étant plutôt ‘retournés’ chez eux par l’Organisation Internationale des Migrants (OIM).

Sur 660 000 migrants et 50 000 réfugiés (placés sous mandat HCR) présents en Libye, 6 600 personnes devraient bénéficier du programme ETM sur deux ans.

La France s’est engagée à accueillir 10 000 réinstallés entre septembre 2017 et septembre 2019. 7 000 Syriens ont déjà été accueillis dans des communes qui se portent volontaires. 3 000 Subsahariens, dont une majorité évacués de Libye, devraient être réinstallés d'ici le mois de décembre.

Construction du camp du HCR à Hamdallaye, près de la capitale nigérienne, en avril 2019. • Crédits : Catherine Guilyardi pour De facto - Radio France

En Dordogne, où se rend ce Grand Reportage, des communes rurales ont fait le choix d’accueillir ces réfugiés souvent abîmés par les violences qu’ils ont subis. Accompagnés pendant un an par des associations mandatées par l’Etat, les réfugiés sont ensuite pris en charge par les services sociaux locaux, mais le rôle des bénévoles reste central dans leur installation en France.

Comment tout cela se passe-t-il concrètement ? Quel est le profil des heureux élus ? Et quelle réalité les attend ? L’accompagnement correspond-il à leurs besoins ? Et parviennent-ils à s’intégrer dans ces villages français ?

Sudanese asylum seekers hosted in Agadez have gathered peacefully in the aftermath of the tragic attack on the Tajoura detention center to commemorate the victims and protesting the conditions in which refugees and migrants are held in Libya.

During the night of July 2, at least 53 refugees and migrants were killed and 130 were injured as a result of two airstrikes that hit the Tajoura detention center in Tripoli, while guards opened fire onsome of the refugees and migrants who tried to escape.

Over 600 refugees and migrants, including women and children, were being held against their will in Tajoura detention center at the time of the attack.

In and around Tripoli, humanitarian actors remain particularly concerned for the safety and wellbeing of the nearly 3,800 refugees and migrants currently held in detentions centers exposed to, or in close proximity to, the fighting. “UNHCR and other actors have repeatedly warned that the return of refugees and migrants to Libyan shores and their arbitrary detention in unsafe areas place vulnerable men, women, and children at a great risk, such as the tragedy of July2” says Alessandra Morelli, UNHCR’s Representative to Niger. “Our colleagues in Libya are doing the best we can to help. IOM and UNHCR have dispatched medical staff, while a wider UN inter-agency team has visited the area”.

Today, over 1500 asylum seekers, mostly Sudanese, are hosted in Agadez, waiting more durable solutions.

Displaced years ago by the conflict in Darfur, many have been through multiple countries and dangerous journeys in search of safety and economic opportunity. Many report the abuses and discrimination suffered in Libya and say conflict in the country made increasingly dangerous their life there.

“Agadez has long been a desert crossroads of people moving north and south. In recent years much of the movement organized by traffickers was northbound to Libya; now the flow is both northbound and southbound, with people escaping from Libya, and several thousand being deported from Algeria” according to UNHCR’s Representative to Niger. “The situation is complex but with the Government of Niger and our partners, we have started to provide assistance in an organized manner”.

20 juin 2019

Un couple somalien avec leur bébé de deux semaines attend l’évacuation vers le Niger depuis le Centre de rassemblement et de départ (GDF) à Tripoli. © HCR/Mohamed Alalem

Un groupe de 131 réfugiés a été évacué hier soir hors de la Libye vers le Niger et le centre de transit géré par le HCR, l’Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés, dans le cadre du Mécanisme de transit d’urgence (ETM).

Les personnes évacuées sont originaires de l’Érythrée, de la Somalie et du Soudan. Parmi elles se trouvaient 65 enfants de moins de 18 ans. Certaines personnes de ce groupe étaient auparavant détenues dans des centres de détention depuis plus d’un an.

« Nous ne pouvons sous-estimer l’importance de ces évacuations qui sauvent des vies », a déclaré Jean-Paul Cavalieri, chef de mission du HCR en Libye. « En cette Journée mondiale du réfugié et pour la première fois depuis longtemps, ces réfugiés pourront dormir la nuit en sachant qu’eux-mêmes et leurs familles sont à l’abri du danger. Mais il reste encore beaucoup à faire. Il est urgent que les Etats se manifestent pour nous aider à évacuer d’autres réfugiés vulnérables hors de Libye. »

Avant l’évacuation, le groupe était hébergé au Centre de rassemblement et de départ (GDF), géré par le HCR à Tripoli, après que le HCR ait obtenu leur libération dans différents centres de détention du pays. Le HCR remercie le ministère libyen de l’Intérieur et son partenaire, LibAid, pour leur soutien en vue de la libération et du transfert de ces personnes hors des centres de détention.

Au GDF, le HCR leur a fourni de la nourriture, un abri, une assistance médicale, y compris une aide psychosociale, ainsi que des vêtements et des kits d’hygiène.

Les personnes évacuées recevront désormais une aide humanitaire à l’ETM tout en se préparant à d’autres options, telles que la réinstallation.

Avec cette évacuation, le HCR a déjà aidé 1297 réfugiés vulnérables à quitter la Libye en 2019, dont 711 au Niger, 295 en Italie et 291 autres qui ont été réinstallés en Europe et au Canada.

Cependant, le nombre croissant de personnes transférées dans des centres de détention après avoir été secourues et interceptées en Méditerranée centrale signifie que de nombreuses autres places de réinstallation sont nécessaires.

Le conflit à Tripoli ne montrant aucun signe d’accalmie, plus de 3800 réfugiés et migrants détenus dans des centres de détention risquent toujours d’être pris dans ces affrontements.

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Nigerian refugees seek shelter in Diffa, Niger, in June 2016. © UNHCR/Ibrahim Abdou

Recent spike in violence in north-western parts of Nigeria has forced an estimated 20,000 people to seek safety and security in Niger since April.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is concerned about deteriorating security inside Nigeria, and is working closely with authorities in Niger to provide basic assistance and register the new arrivals. More than 18,000 people have already gone through the initial registration process so far.

The latest upsurge in violence is not linked to Boko Haram. People are reportedly fleeing due to multiple reasons, including clashes between farmers and herders of different ethnic groups, vigilantism, as well as kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria’s Sokoto and Zamfara States.

People leaving Nigeria, and arriving in Niger’s Maradi Region, speak of witnessing extreme violence unleashed against civilians, including machete attacks, kidnappings and sexual violence. The majority of the new arrivals are women and children.

The ongoing Boko Haram insurgency has already spilled over into Niger, where it has affected its Diffa region since 2015. The region currently hosts almost 250,000 displaced people – including refugees from Nigeria and locals being displaced inside their own country.

Niger continues to be a leading regional example in providing safety to refugees fleeing conflict and persecution in many countries. It has kept its borders open for refugees despite the ongoing violence in several regions bordering Nigeria, Mali and recently Burkina Faso.

Many of the newly arrived are located very close to the Nigerian border, where there remains a high risk of armed incursions. UNHCR with sister UN agencies and partners is discussing with the government the possibility of relocating them into local towns and villages further in land.

As well as providing aid to Nigerian new arrivals, UNHCR also plans to support host families, who despite lack of adequate resources and access to basic services, have always shown solidarity towards the displaced and welcomed people into their homes.

Since the beginning of 2018, violence within the Diffa region perpetrated by elements of Boko Haram has also significantly escalated with a record number of civilian casualties and unprecedented secondary movements within the region.

Niger is currently hosting over 380,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Mali and Nigeria as well as its own internally displaced population. The country has also provided refuge to some 2,782 asylum seekers airlifted from insecurity in Libya, while awaiting durable solutions.

L’appui aux moyens de subsistance est une composante essentielle de l’assistance fournis par l’UNHCR et ses partenaires pour accompagner le processus de résilience et d’intégration socio-économique des réfugiés maliens au Niger. Pour autant, l’impact attendu n’est pas toujours au rendez-vous. Afin d’améliorer les pratiques existantes, l’UNHCR et le BIT (Bureau International du Travail) ont commandité une analyse des systèmes de marchés dans le cadre de l’appui aux moyens de subsistance des réfugiés Maliens. Mr Fayçal Siddikou Boureima, consultant indépendant, a été en charge de réaliser cette analyse.

Mr Boureima, par le passé les réfugiés et les vulnérables hôtes ont bénéficié de nombreuses interventions en appui aux activités économiques et à la formation. Pour autant le constat est amer : peu de personnes accompagnées peuvent justifier d’une augmentation de leur pouvoir d’achat dans le temps et donc d’une forme d’autosuffisance. Quelles sont les failles dans l’accompagnement?

Avant de répondre à votre question, j’aimerais évoquer la difficulté à mettre en œuvre des activités de développement dans un contexte d’urgence extrême. Pour revenir à votre question, je vois cinq challenges auxquels ont fait face les interventions en faveur des réfugiés et des vulnérables hôtes : La faible collaboration entre intervenants et les services techniques déconcentrés de l’Etat qui manque déjà de moyens et ont souvent une faible capacité opérationnelle; la tendance à reproduire systématiquement les mêmes types d’intervention (embouche, AGRs, formation de courte durée non-basé sur un diagnostic participatif….) sans analyse préalable des contraintes et opportunités des secteurs; des interventions d’urgence pas suffisamment basées sur une logique de marché et ne permettant pas d’avoir des prix rémunérateurs ; et enfin, la tendance à favoriser une seule étape des chaînes de valeur, la production, au lieu d’une approche plus holistique permettant d’améliorer la performance globale des filières avec une attention particulière sur l’accès aux services de soutiens.

Les communes de Tillabéry accueillant les réfugiés maliens sont structurellement fragiles. Aujourd’hui vient se rajouter la situation sécuritaire qui a un impact désastreux sur le tissu socio-économique. Quelless sont les parades à la disposition des acteurs pour, malgré ce contexte, accompagner la résilience des réfugiés ?

L’un des plus grands défis restent la faible capacité technique et opérationnelle des services techniques. Les projets de développement ou d’urgence ne sont pas éternels. Après l’urgence, la priorité doit être donnée au renforcement des capacités des services techniques qui seront là même lorsque le contexte sécuritaire ne permettra pas la présence sur le terrain des organisations internationales. Ces services techniques pourraient être par exemple organisés en guichet unique qui sera l’interface entre les intervenants extérieurs et les populations de manière à mieux adapter les interventions aux besoins des bénéficiaires et de pouvoir construire sur l’existant.

Aussi, les institutions de développement ne doivent pas se substituer aux acteurs directs des filières dans lesquelles elles interviennent. Elles doivent plutôt jouer un rôle de catalyseur qui permettrait de mieux structurer les filières et d’améliorer l’action des services de soutien. Elles doivent surtout œuvrer à développer les capacités des services techniques et du secteur privé au lieu de les remplacer.

Les interventions visant une autonomisation des réfugiés et des hôtes vulnérables doivent donner la priorité à des montages de projet qui mettraient en relation les services techniques, le secteur privé, les bénéficiaires et le marché. Ces interventions doivent aussi tenir compte de l’expertise des bénéficiaires, de leurs aspirations actuelles et surtout de la dynamique de l’économie locale.

Enfin, l’information et la formation commerciale des bénéficiaires ainsi que leur organisation en coopérative ou association doit être au cœur des interventions. En effet, une meilleure transition de l’assistanat à l’autonomie passera forcement par le développement de l’esprit d’entreprenariat des réfugiés ainsi que leur accès à l’information.

Pouvez nous nous décrire une intervention que vous avez pu analyser que l’on pourrait qualifier de « success story » ?

Une intervention que l’on peut qualifier de « succès story » serait le modèle de formation de l’ONG ASB dans la zone d’accueil des réfugiés d’’Intikane qui se décline comme suit :

L’identification et le choix des formations se fait sur la base d’une analyse d’expert en collaboration avec les bénéficiaires et en tenant compte des besoins en formation dans les filières porteuses de la localité;

Le ciblage des apprenants set fait en collaboration avec la Direction Régionale de l’Enseignement Professionnel et Technique (DREP/T) et les autorités départementales ;

La formation est mise en œuvre par des formateurs proposés par la DREP/T ;

La formation est suivie d’une distribution de kits qu’une convention tripartie entre l’ONG, la Mairie et l’apprenant interdit formellement à la vente ;

Et enfin l’accompagnement et le suivi post-formation des bénéficiaires avec l’aide du Fond d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle et à l’Apprentissage.

Ce modèle qui met en relation autorités, services techniques, bénéficiaires et intervenants s’est avéré particulièrement intéressant et a permis de changer la vie de toutes les personnes qui en ont bénéficié.

Au Niger, les autorités vont bientôt procéder à la relocalisation des réfugiés et déplacés installés dans la région de Diffa du fait des atrocités de la secte Boko Haram. C'est le gouverneur de la région de Diffa qui a fait l'annonce. Les populations réfugiées et déplacés internes à Diffa sont en effet depuis le début de l'année les cibles des attaques éléments du groupe terroriste.

Niamey, 19 April

Louise Donovan, UNHCR

Sudanese family of seven who were evacuated from Libya to Niger during ongoing clashes (UNHCR/Juan Haro).

“We would hear loud bangs. The room would shake. We begged them to open the door so we could escape but instead they locked us in small cells” says Khadmalla, who fled insecurity in Sudan with her elderly mother and seven siblings more than a year ago, only to find themselves detained in Tripoli.

Khadmalla and her family are amongst 163 refugees who were successfully evacuated from Libya to Niger last in the early hours of this morning, amidst clashes and ongoing violence in Libya. The group was made up of extremely vulnerable refugees, including more than 40 unaccompanied children, all of whom have recently been freed from detention.

Eritrean refugee Faradou with her four children arrive in Niamey airport from Tripoli (UNHCR/Juan Haro).

“The last weeks have been the worst. The children were terrified with the sounds of the fighting…They were told to be quiet and the guards threatened to take one of my children away from me if they would not be quiet” says Faradou, stroking her daughter’s hair. She was forced to flee Eritrea when her husband was arrested for absenting himself from military service for the birth of his daughter. She arrived to Niamey airport in the early hours of the morning, with her young children trailing behind her, looking exhausted but relieved.

Since the escalation of the conflict in Tripoli a fortnight ago, UNHCR has managed to relocate 539 refugees from detention centres located in conflict zones to safety. However, more than 3,000 remain trapped. Despite the difficult circumstances, this group was lucky enough to be evacuated last night. However, without expedited departures for resettlement from Niger to enable further evacuations, more refugees will remain trapped.

Since the beginning of the Emergency Transit Mechanism in November 2017, a total of 2,782 refugees have arrived to Niger from Tripoli. However, the escalation of the conflict and the life threating scenario unfolding in Libya require shared responsibility and a more concerted international effort to save lives.

“Niger is an example of solidarity in action. But it cannot do this alone, there must be shared responsibility. The international community has a duty to protect these vulnerable refugees in such a critical moment” said Alessandra Morelli, UNHCR Representative in Niger.

Mehertab, an Eritrean refugee spent 2 years in Libya. He is grateful to be free, but pleads that his brothers are not abandoned (UNHCR/Juan Haro).

Somali siblings Fares and Sausan were released from a Libyan detention center in January and evacuated to Niger together with their mother and 127 other refugees. © UNHCR/Tarik Argaz

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has evacuated some 163 refugees from Libya to Niger in the first such flight since fighting escalated in the Libyan capital two weeks ago. The flight landed early on Friday.

UNHCR has worked with the Libyan Ministry of Interior and authorities in Niger to make this possible.

All evacuees, including dozens of women and children, were previously detained in Libya. Among them, were many people who UNHCR had recently relocated from the Abu Selim and Ain Zara detention centers – both locations were close to conflict frontlines.

UNHCR remains extremely concerned for the safety of refugees and migrants who are trapped inside detention centers and exposed to violence.

“Given the situation in Libya, humanitarian evacuations are a life-line for detained refugees whose lives are in jeopardy in Libya,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.

“Niger’s solidarity in receiving these refugees is world-leading and exemplary, but it cannot do this alone. There must be shared responsibility and we need other countries to come forward to lend a hand and help bring vulnerable refugees out of Libya to safety.”

UNHCR continues to urge resettlement states to ensure quick departures of refugees accepted for resettlement from Niger in order to free up space for new evacuees from Tripoli.

After their release from detention and before leaving Libya, the evacuated refugees were sheltered at UNHCR’s Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF) in the center of Tripoli until the transfer to Niger was secured.

UNHCR has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable through relocations from detention to the gathering facility. In the past ten days, it has been able to transfer some 539 refugees from several detention centers near the immediate conflict zones – including 179 from the Abu Selim detention center, south of Tripoli, amid heavy clashes in the area.

More than 3,000 refugees and migrants remain trapped in detention close to the fighting range, including those in Qasr Bin Ghasheer, Al Sabaa and Tajoura detention centers.

UNHCR is urgently calling on the international community to provide solutions for all trapped and detained refugees in Libya, including evacuations and humanitarian corridors, to allow refugees in the Gathering and Departure Facility to find safety abroad and also to open new spaces at the facility, which has limited capacity.

Le 11 avril 2019, s’est tenue à Niamey, la 12ème réunion de la commission tripartite Mali-Niger-UNHCR sur le rapatriement volontaire des réfugiés maliens au Niger. L’objectif de cette réunion est d’analyser l’évolution de la situation des réfugiés maliens afin d’échanger sur leur retour volontaire. Les travaux de ce cadre tripartite de réflexion et d’actions a donné l’occasion de passer en revue la situation des réfugiés maliens au Niger afin d’évaluer le niveau et les conditions des retours. Plusieurs personnalités ont tenu à être présentes à cette rencontre dont le Secrétaire Général du Ministère malien de la Solidarité et de l’Action Humanitaire, les ambassadeurs du Mali au Niger et celui du Niger au Mali, des représentants du ministère nigérien en charge de l’Intérieur et de la Sécurité Publique, ceux de l’UNHCR ainsi que plusieurs autres invités maliens et nigériens.

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Nigerian refugee family pictured here are one twelve families that have been welcomed into the home of a refugee family who had previously fled Boko Haram in northern Nigeria and settled in Diffa town. Empathy and solidarity are key characteristics of the local and displaced populations who are sharing their meager resources with those in desperate need. © UNHCR/Ibrahim Abdou

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is extremely worried over the alarming increase of attacks in the south-east of Niger, affecting locals and refugees in the region. In the month of March alone, some 88 civilians were reported dead in the escalation of violence.

We are dismayed to see the population’s suffering increase with each passing month since early 2019. The beginning of the year has brought a resurgence of violent attacks by Boko Haram, targeting security and defence forces as well as the civilian population in the region of Diffa, near the Nigerian border.

Since 2015, the number of people forcibly displaced within the Diffa region has risen to almost 250,000; almost half of them are refugees from Nigeria who had fled similar attacks and sought refuge across the border.

Recent attacks have displaced more than 18,000 people, many on the run for a second or third time, many seeking safety in Diffa town.

UNHCR is currently working with the government of Niger and our humanitarian partners to assist the newly displaced. We are trying to immediately relocate some 10,000 refugees from locations close to the border to the Sayam Forage refugee camp, some 45 kilometres away from the border. The camp is already hosting more than 15,000 refugees.

Additionally, UNHCR is supporting the government to seek alternative solutions for the remainder of the newly displaced and highly vulnerable people in desperate need of safety and humanitarian assistance.

UNHCR has mobilized psychosocial support workers to respond to the immediate needs of the newly displaced who are highly traumatized, in particular women and children.

Reports also suggest that the latest round of violence is displacing people across the border into Nigeria, including to the towns of Damasak and Maiduguri. They are leaving due to fear of the increasing insecurity in the Diffa region, as well as to search for humanitarian assistance.

An analysis of the current situation in terms of population movements in Libya, including the factors and the possible scenarios, is essential to enable UNHCR and the Nigerien authorities to adequately prepare an assistance and protection response, in anticipation. With the complexity of the situation, it is crucial for UNHCR to collaborate with research institutes to expand the analysis. UNHCR has therefore collaborated with the Clingendael research institute to carry out a study entitled “Southbound Mixed Movement to Niger: An analysis of changing dynamics and policy responses”. Fransje Molenaar led the study.

Ms. Molenaar, is it possible for an external actor to have a good estimation of the number of migrants and refugees in Libya, where they are located, and who they are?

IOM has set up a monitoring system that estimates the number of foreigners in Libya – including their dispersion across the different regions – in the form of their Displacement Tracking Matrix. The caveats that apply are that it is notoriously difficult to collect data in Libya, especially given the fact that migration has become a sensitive issue (especially in the north of the country). In addition, it may be difficult to collect information on migrants kept in informal detention facilities and forced labour situations. This means that the available data should be regarded as a general estimation of the number of foreigners present in Libya. In addition, it should be noted that the data do not distinguish between refugees and migrants.

Is the profile of the refugees / asylum seekers that UNHCR and the Government of Niger welcome in Agadez reflective of the complexity of the scale of movements in the Sahel and North Africa?

The profiles of the refugees and asylum seekers that UNHCR and the Nigerien government received in Agadez are indeed a miniature image of the larger complexity of mixed movements across the Sahel and North Africa. In a mere number of months, refugees and asylum seekers arrived to the city from a diverse number of countries. Sudanese asylum seekers travelled to Niger from Libya, Sudan and Chad. Among them were a group of Darfurian refugees who had previously lived in refugee camps in eastern Chad. Throughout the research, it was suggested that some of these asylum seekers had previously worked in goldmines in northern Niger (which were closed in early 2017). A second group of arrivals consisted of Nigerian asylum seekers, who had travelled directly from Nigeria to Agadez. Thirdly, several West African asylum seekers arrived in Agadez from Algeria. In addition, these movements were organized in many different ways. As can be gauged from figure 3 below, for example, Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers travelled to Agadez from many different locations. Using 4Mi survey data collected by the Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) from 3,500 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Libya, the report has shown that this diverse number of movements is likely the result of the fact that Sudanese rely on their smart phones and personal networks to organize their journeys. Nigerians, on the other hand, are more likely to use smuggling networks to facilitate their travels, which might explain why Nigerian arrivals in Agadez could generally be traced back to a limited number of cities in Nigeria.

Your conclusion is that it is necessary to prepare for new population movements to Niger. Can you tell us more?

The most important thing that the sudden arrival in Agadez of refugees and asylum seekers from many different directions in early 2018 tells us is that that minor developments and policy changes may directly result in population movements to Agadez. Although it is impossible to predict whether new mixed movements will arrive in Niger in the near future, the report has shown that the reality is that there is a large group of people in need of protection present across the region. In addition, there are currently many forces at work in the countries surrounding Niger that (may) increase the need for a protection space and that may push people to find refuge in Niger. In particular, new arrivals of Sudanese and Chadians could be foreseen due to the combination of increasing hardship and the availability of means and connections to travel to Niger. At the very least, this requires an ongoing monitoring effort (including the tracking of information networks used by refugees and asylum seekers to plan their journeys) to be able to prepare for potential new arrivals. In addition, the main lesson from the situation in early 2018 is that interventions in one country may have unintended consequences for other countries in the region. Such regional unintended consequences need to be planned and budgeted for – including under current EU attempts to stop departures from Libya.

Sensitization campaign during the UNHCR gas program in Diffa © UNHCR/Benoit Moreno

The Moving Energy Initiative (MEI) is an international consortium seeking to sustainably increase access to energy for displaced people and to improve how energy is dealt with in humanitarian situations. It was formally inaugurated in 2015 as a partnership between Energy 4 Impact, Practical Action, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Norwegian Refugee Council and Chatham House.

The Moving Energy Initiative (MEI) released several research reports, including “Cooking in Displacement Settings: Engaging the Private Sector in Non-wood-based Fuel Supply”. UNHCR's successful Gas program in the Diffa region was part of this research.

Le mécanisme d’évacuation d’urgence et de transit (ETM) des réfugiés depuis les centres de détention Libyens et vers le Niger est particulièrement couvert par les medias internationaux. Pour autant, cette couverture importante ne se traduit pas toujours par une clarté. Très souvent les lecteurs et spectateurs finissent leurs articles ou leurs reportages sans avoir intégrer la logique de ce mécanisme et son fonctionnement, voir sans avoir compris la différence entre un réfugié et un migrant.

« Mon Quotidien » est un hebdomadaire français pour les 10-13 ans. En « 10 minutes de lecture », « Mon Quotidien » réussi avec pédagogie à faire passer les informations clés. Une lecture conseillée aux adultes.

“As a secondary school student, this has enabled me to cultivate my knowledge. For example, certain books and documentaries available on the UNHCR Box have helped me to research, and to enlarge my understanding of different topics. It’s wonderful to discover and learn new things that we never knew about before” Yagana Madou, Nigerian refugee.

The region of Diffa in the South-East of Niger, has been hosting Nigerian refugees since the Boko Haram conflict escalated in the northern regions of Nigeria in 2013. There are currently over 118,000 Nigerian refugees in the region, in addition to almost 105,000 internally displaced persons, and 25,000 returnees from Nigeria to Niger. The vast majority of the refugees in the Diffa are hosted in area with no connectivity. This is the case for the 15,000 refugees living in the Sayam Forage refugee camp located around 50km from the border with Nigeria in an isolated desert like area which is extremely isolated - including from information, culture and technology. It has long proven a challenge for UNHCR to provide access to online and digital resources in such an environment.

In 2018, a new and innovative offline platform was installed in the camp, to provide access to numerous cultural resources for the youth. Many have been in the camp for up to 5 years, and although education is provided, internet access for the refugees is not possible, and thus their access to information and culture has been severely limited.

The “CultureBox” is a new and innovative idea, piloted by the Franco-Nigerien Cultural Centre in Niger (CCFN), with the support of ‘Mind and Go’, which was jointly adapted with the support of UNHCR, for the youth population of the camp, to become the “UNHCR Box”. The pilot project was possible through the financing of the UNHCR Innovation Fund.

The device is a form of Digital Library which is available without internet connection. It is a means of sharing files and resources that is mobile and uses Open Source logistics to create a wireless communication network, where users can share books, images, videos, files, games etc.

The UNHCR Box incorporates a layout like an interactive website which differentiates it from previous less user-friendly prototypes. It can be used by multiple users simultaneously to access the contents. The contents of the UNHCR Box can be accessed through a variety of means, including Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops etc. Despite the low rate of internet connectivity, a surprisingly high number of youth possess Smartphones, while UNHCR have provided laptops and tablets to the camp to enable access.

This device combines an Open Format with free software, ensuring accessibility, user control and data sustainability. It is an innovative but simple technological solution, with the basic technology of a router with a USB key. Once designed and with the information uploaded, the only thing required is a means of accessing the contents and electricity, through solar panels, to keep the device charged.

The further adapted “UNHCR Box” has been developed specifically for the difficult climatic conditions in the region of Diffa, including a fan to keep the device cool in the blistering climate and an automatic device to disable the machine in case of overheating. It has also been placed in a specially designed protective cover to avoid damage from sand and high winds.

On Sunday, 20th of January, the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Mr. Andrew Gilmour visited one of UNHCR’s “case de passage” in Niamey, accommodating refugees evacuated from Libya to Niger, though the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM). This programme is a lifesaving mechanism which was established in November 2017 to enable the evacuation of refugees trapped in detention centres in Libya to Niger temporarily, while awaiting resettlement to third countries.

The security forces in Niger now patrol on the look out for traffickers