Drought develops over Central America, dryness persists in East and West Africa

Africa Weather Hazards

1. A delayed onset of the rainy season, followed by poorly-distributed rainfall, has led to abnormal dryness across Burkina Faso, the central and northern parts of Ghana, Togo, and Benin, western and southern Niger, and northern Nigeria. The lack of rainfall over the past several weeks has delayed planting and negatively affected cropping activities over many local areas.

2. A delayed onset and lack of rainfall has resulted in abnormal dryness across extreme western portions of Ethiopia, western Eritrea, and eastern Sudan. The most impacted states in Sudan are Gadaref, Sinar, and Blue Nile, including important agricultural regions where planting is being delayed.

Since December 2013, conflict in Central African Republic has caused 113,000 Chadians in CAR to flee, returning to their home country. Though it seems like coming home would be easy, most of these people left Chad decades ago, and no longer have a solid support network in their home country. Returning to fragile and food insecure regions, the returnees were in need of assistance, particularly to make sure that they did not create additional burden for their host communities. WFP has been providing crucial support to these returnees for the past year through vouchers, which let returnees purchase food in local markets. Now, WFP is initiating resilience projects for the returnees and vulnerable host communities: providing vouchers to participants in asset-building projects. With support from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), WFP launched a project to rehabilitate the road from the town of Goré, to the returnee sites of Danamadja and Kobiteye in southern Chad.

Over 1,000 people worked diligently to build a 7-kilometer road in record time - the three months between April and June - so that it would be competed before the rainy season. WFP is providing the participants with vouchers, which they can use to purchase food locally.

In total about 5,300 people - the workers and their households - in three villages, Kobiteye, Lafia, and Danamadja, and two returnee sites, Kobitey and Danamadja, will benefit from the voucher support.

Richard Alandigui, 34, from Kobiteye, said that the work was difficult but worthwhile. Over the course of 36 days, he dug trenches, crushed stones, cut trees, and removed stumps.

"But thanks to this road, I found my dignity," he said.

In combination with the existing food voucher programme for returnees, the road rehabilitation project also aims to decrease any tensions between host communities and the returnees.

About 56 percent of the participants in the road rehabilitation were women.

"We waited and wanted this new road for a long time! This stretch of road was a key issue for us, the returnees, and the surrounding villages - we need to use it to trade in the city," said Raisa, who sells small cakes in Goré.

Amina Marcous, a widow and mother of six, is satisfied with her role in the project. She dug trenches and transported gravel in wheelbarrows. She said she was proud to have undertaken a physically difficult job, and is happy to have saved money for food, like sesame, peanuts, and sorghum seeds.

Kadija and her son, Aboubacar, were pleased to walk on the new road. Previously, the rainy season had made the road impassable, and blocked access to Gore's hospital.

On 30 June, the road was officially completed and open for traffic. It was inaugurated by a ceremony chaired by the Prefect of the Nya Pende region, the WFP Representative in Gore, and participants in the project.

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AUTHOR

Mary Herrick

WASH Communications Officer

World Vision US

When a village in Africa receives a well that brings clean water, it is women and children who often spend hours every day carrying water who benefit the most. But it is usually men who design and build the water systems.

In Mali, Lucie Bibata Dembele is breaking those norms. Lucie manages two of World Vision’s drill rigs and the teams of 12 men that run them.

LEARN HOW A COMMUNITY GETS CLEAN WATER

She is the only female drill rig manager for World Vision, not only in Mali but in the entire West Africa region.

"I think my role is important because women can see another woman who fights for them. That can give them courage in all their activities, whether domestic or financial. For that, I know my effort will not be in vain," says Lucie.

Lucie is “a wonderful example to her friends and sisters to challenge men and make a positive difference.”

Daniel Maizama, World Vision’s associate program director, for the WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) Plus program in Mali, says, “It is important to have a female drill rig manager, not only to demonstrate to the world that what men can do, women can do even better, but also (it's) important to give an example to other women who think this work is only for men.” (WASH Plus combines programming to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene with some other issue that's essential to community development, such as health, nutrition, or livelihoods.)

With a bachelor’s degree in geology, Lucie originally planned to go into mining, where there is potential to earn a lot of money. Instead, she chose to pursue drilling for water, because the reality of bringing clean water to those in need is more meaningful. In fact, it is the part of her job that inspires her the most.

On average, it takes 2.7 days for one of World Vision’s rigs to reach a depth of at least 60 meters (about 197 feet), which provides an appropriate flow of water, resulting in a successful borehole and well.

During the operation, drilling teams stay in the communities where they are working, often in basic conditions. The days are long, and the travel from one site to another can be very rough. It is a physically demanding job, and crews are often exposed to diseases that are endemic in rural areas. When she was interviewed for this article, Lucie was recovering from typhoid and malaria.

The communities where Lucie works are often surprised to see a woman leading the drilling team, and she sometimes receives questions and criticism.

“There are women who think my work is too hard to do, given the need to spend months away from family," she says. "Others think it is not ‘woman’s work.’”

Even with these challenges, Lucie says for her, one of the hardest parts of the job is when the rig doesn’t hit water. It’s a challenge to face the disappointed community and to move the rig to a new location. In these cases, World Vision’s hydrogeologist re-surveys whether there are other locations nearby for drilling.

Since becoming a driller with World Vision, Lucie has learned how to operate the drill rigs and how to manage a team of men.

“It’s not complicated. I consider them my brothers. I respect them, and they respect me,” says Lucie. “There are people on the team who I can learn from; some with more than 10 years of experience. If I don’t know something, I just ask. Everyone is here for the same purpose.”

At a time when International Women’s Day (March 8) focuses on celebrating the achievements of women and calling for greater equality, it’s good to see Lucie Dembele succeeding in a traditionally male-dominated role in the water industry.

As Daniel Maizama says, Lucie is “a wonderful example to her friends and sisters to challenge men and make a positive difference.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT WORLD VISION'S CLEAN WATER PROGRAMME

The project falls within the framework of the integrated Assistance for countering Terrorism initiative. In an endeavor to eliminate the risks of terrorism and its negative effects on the stability in the region, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre and UNESCO join efforts towards preventive actions against terrorism in Burkina Faso, building on the achievements of the UNESCO/ECOWAS/ADB project, in particular the seminars organized in the West Africa Region.

The project was launched in September 2014 in Burkina Faso, in the presence of four ministries, the governor of the Central and the Sahel Regions, the Director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Dakar, media representatives, as well as the different traditional and customary chiefs of department at the centralized and decentralized levels, have committed themselves to accompany the implementation of the project. During the launch, the Premier Minster received the UNESCO delegation headed by the Minister of National Education and Literacy.

Planned activities are being carried out in Ouagadougou and the Sahel Region in Northern Burkina Faso

The ECOWAS Reference Manuel on education for a culture of peace, human rights, citizenship, democracy and regional integration ) was translated into the different languages: Tamacheck, Goulmanceman, Songhraï and Fulfulbe, and will be edited in 2000 copies in addition to the versions in Dioula and Moore (500 copies per language).

Two training of trainer’s workshops were organized, firstly in Ouagadougou, from 16 to 22 December 2014, followed by a second one in Dori from 12 to 17 January 2015. These workshops were attended by around forty participants composed of locals councilors, central and local government authorities, customary chiefs, leaders of civil society organizations, journalists, and private and community radio presenters.

The training for trainers and sensitizers were well attended within the participating communities. The Emir of Djibo set himself to train 50 traditional leaders who, in turn, will increase public awareness in the communities of Northern Burkina Faso: Baraboulé, Tongomayel, Arbina and Djibo.

Furthering the implementation of the activities, regional communities and one national selection committee have been set up by the Governors of the Central and the Sahel Region in Northern Burkina Faso, in collaboration with Burkina National Commission and UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar.

The criteria for selection will be based on the impact, communication, viability and the capacity to reach the maximum of target populations, and will involve various literacy actors (presenters/facilitators/teachers of literacy class, madrasas, and non-formal schooling), journalists/community radio presenters, television, and national and international press.

The main challenges and opportunities of this joint project are to:

1. Develop a good communication and dissemination strategy in order to inform the maximum number of women, men, youth, and traditional/customary chiefs on counter-terrorism and a culture of peace and conflict management, based on the ECOWAS reference Manuel and the achievements of the training of trainer’s sessions
   
2. Provide a sufficient number of copies of the ECOWAS Reference Manual and make widely accessible the online self-training educational tools in local languages, ensuring wide dissemination to the populations concerned
   
3. Increase the number of training sessions through structuring projects with a transformation effect
   
4. Promote the appropriation of the project by the youth, leaders of civil society organizations, traditional/religious leaders, administrative and local authorities, and NGOs.

By Boureima Balima

NIAMEY, 15 July 2015 (IRIN) - When 26-year-old Koné Kabiné left his home in Cote d’Ivoire’s capital Abidjan six months ago, he never thought he would end up at a migrant centre in Niger with serious injuries, about to return to the very place he so badly wanted to escape. Kabiné had long dreamed of making his way to Europe and earning his fortune, as he heard so many of his friends and neighbours had done before him.

“Once I lost my job, I couldn’t keep living without work, with nothing to do there,” he told IRIN.

After months of planning and saving, Kabiné sold his last valuable possession: a car he had painstakingly rebuilt years ago at the auto repair shop where he used to work. Then, with the blessing of his family, he climbed onto a bus with just a few belongings. Hidden in various pockets was all the cash he had managed to scrape together.

The bus took Kabiné more than 2,500 kilometres: north up the length of Cote d’Ivoire, then east through Burkina Faso and on to the migrant hub of Agadez in central Niger. From there, he hoped to continue northwards into Libya before eventually finding a boat to take him across the Mediterranean to Italy.

Like countless West African migrants before him, Kabiné never reached his final destination.

A traffic accident – something all too common in the region – resulted in the car he was travelling in rolling over multiple times somewhere shy of the Libyan border.

“I lost a lot of blood and fell into a coma,” recalled Kabiné, who also broke both his legs in the crash.

Eventually escorted back to the Nigerien capital Niamey by friends of friends who had heard about the accident, Kabiné was taken to a migrant reception centre run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“When he was brought to us, he couldn’t even walk,” said Douada Mahamadou, who manages the centre.

With the support of IOM, who helped him make contact with relatives back home, and after more than a month recovering from his injuries, Kabiné is about to return to Abidjan along with dozens of other Ivoirian migrants who also failed to reach Europe.

Not a lone case

Since the beginning of 2015, more than 5,600 people who attempted to migrate to Europe have been returned to their countries of origin from Niamey, according to Paloma Casaseca, a program assistant here for the IOM.

“This number is double that of last year,” Casaseca told IRIN. “And these are essentially the people who failed in their journey, either because of lack of resources or health issues, or as a result of expulsions by the host country.”

IOM estimates that more than 100,000 West Africans will cross Niger this year on their way to Europe. But many don’t even reach the coasts of places like Algeria, Libya or Morocco to try their luck on the perilous boat journeys that are the best-known feature of this complex migration phenomenon.

Vast expanses of sand make for difficult access routes, particularly aboard old pickup trucks and other dilapidated vehicles. When a car breaks down, passengers often die of dehydration before they can be rescued. Those that are found are sometimes sent back home. Others are forced into hard labour or prostitution by the smugglers.

“In Niger, we have no figures to express the crisis of the Niger desert, that engulfs probably just as many fatalities each year as the Mediterranean,” Casaseca said.

Reform needed

At the IOM reception centre in Niamey, many migrants told IRIN they were not aware of the full danger of what they were undertaking. They had merely heard that there was a road that could take them to Europe.

“Many friends and brothers have successfully traversed the wilderness to go to Europe and so why shouldn’t we follow the same path?” asked Bouaro Idrissa, a 27-year-old from Senegal, who was also about to be sent home from Niamey.

The reality, as Kabiné found out to his cost, is quite different.

“I left Cote d’Ivoire with around $2,000 but before I even arrived in Libya, it was all gone,” he told IRIN. “At each of dozens of checkpoints we had to pay bribes of between $20 and $70, not including the more expensive smuggler fees.”

Located about a three-day drive from the Libyan border in central Niger, the town of Agadez is the most popular transit point for West Africans attempting to cross the Sahara.

Smugglers’ compounds are bountiful and police often turn a blind eye to the trucks of migrants passing through, in exchange, of course, for cash.

Niger has stepped up efforts to combat the smuggling of migrants since 2013, when 92 of its own citizens died in the Algerian desert while attempting to make it to Europe.

Measures have included the creation of the National Agency against the Trafficking of Persons, the National Commission for the Fight against Human Trafficking and most recently, in May, the adoption of an anti-human smuggling law by the National Assembly.

The new legislation is the first of its kind in the region and allows for convicted smugglers to receive up to 30 years in prison.

"(Smuggling) affects, in one way or another, almost all areas of Niger,” said Marou Amadou, Niger's justice minister, bemoaning the country’s location in the Sahel, its porous borders, the illiteracy of its population, and the temptation for poor Nigeriens to seek easy money from the migrant business.

Niger’s government is now asking for an additional $4.1 million from donors to finance a five-year action plan to bolster anti-smuggling capabilities and help victims.

For Kabiné, and many others, it is already too late.

“I am completely discouraged and feel betrayed by the deception [of the smugglers],” Kabiné told IRIN.

“For the moment, I just need to focus on recovering my health,” he said. “Then we will see what comes next.”

bb/jl/ag

Theme (s): Migration

Information on UASC from CP SWG Secondary Data Review

• It is likely that many UASC are living in host communities, and are not easily accessible. (OCHA, June 2015)

• Many adults have taken on the ad-hoc care of children. With the fluidity of IDP movements in the North-East, people are moving several times, which risks UASC being left behind. (OCHA, June 2015)

• There is a need to scale up efforts to identify and document the numbers of UASC, so that an appropriate response can be put in place for them. This will include alternative care and a tracing service. (PSWG, March 2015)

• In 24 communities out of 27, informal foster care with relatives or other community members was reported as the primary care mechanism for UASC, both in the camps and outside of the camps. In 25 communities, key informants reported that they would care for UAC. Based on information gathered during the assessment, parents who are missing children, reportedly check camps first for UAC.In the official camps, government agencies are responsible for placing UAC with foster families inside of the camp. (IRC, March 2015)

• Of the 27 communities assessed, 23 reported separated children in their community due to displacement from Boko Haram attacks in the northeast. (IRC, March 2015)

• According to 19 communities out of the 27 assessed, most separated children were between 5-14.
  For children under the age of two, of 24 communities who reported on separation of infants, 11 communities said infants were separated from their usual caregivers, the responses were largely anecdotal. (IRC, March 2015)

• In 14 of 27 communities sampled, respondents reported that there are more girls who were separated from their usual caregivers than boys. (IRC, March 2015)

• Many children were unaccompanied before the crisis, headed for or attending Koranic schools, and many more have lost or become separated from their families as a result of the conflict. (OCHA, June 2015)

• The most frequently reported range of unaccompanied children (UAC) per community was approximately 6-10. All 27 communities sampled reported that children had been separated during displacement. Communities reported that there are more girls who were separated from their usual caregivers than boys. Most children separated from their usual caregivers were between 5-14 according to 19 communities out of the 27 communities assessed. (IRC, March 2015)

• It should be noted that the number of UASC provided by respondents is believed to be underestimated. This is demonstrated by the approximately 39% under estimating of UAC in camps sample where the actual number (51 registered UAC) is recorded and can be compared to the estimated number by respondents typically 11-20. (IRC, March 2015)

• Boko Haram conducts surprise attacks on unsuspecting villages. Family members are often in different places, working in the fields or at school. They have to drop what they are doing and flee for their lives. This has dispersed families and left many children separated from their parents or caregivers. (IDMC, April 2015)

• Children have not only become separated from their families in the three States of Emergency:
  UASC have ended up in many States across Nigeria, including as far away as Edo State, increasing challenges for tracking, tracing and reunification. (OCHA, June 2015)

7/17/2015 - 10:46 GMT

by Aminu ABUBAKAR

Three girls staged suicide bombings in the Nigerian city of Damaturu on Friday, killing at least 13 people as residents prepared for the Eid festival at the end of Ramadan, police said.

The attacks, in a northeastern area hard hit by the Boko Haram insurgency, came just days before Nigeria's new President Muhammadu Buhari travels to Washington for talks with US counterpart Barack Obama.

The bombings came on the day the country's new army chief was due to visit the city to meet soldiers battling Boko Haram. 

Buhari is expected to use Monday's meeting with Obama to push for US help to tackle the jihadist violence, which has surged since he took office in May, claiming more than 700 lives.

Boko Haram have increasingly used young women and girls as human bombs over the past year as part of campaign of terror, which has left 15,000 people dead and 1.5 million homeless since 2009.

In a sign of how the violence is spreading across the region, a soldier and 19 Boko Haram members were killed in a shootout following an insurgent raid on an army post at Lake Chad, a security source in neighbouring Chad said.

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno said he would not back down against the Islamists, vowing: "Boko Haram will disappear one day."

In the Nigerian attacks, residents said twin explosions near a prayer ground in Damaturu killed two people, before a third blast moments later near a mosque that left another 11 dead.

Markus Danladi, Yobe state police commissioner, confirmed 13 people were killed.

"The attacks were carried out by three underage girls. Fifteen people were also injured in the attacks."

Army spokesman Sani Usman however gave a toll of nine dead and 18 wounded, adding: "Troops and security agencies responded immediately to the incidents. The situation is currently under control."

Deadly Ramadan

The attacks followed a double bombing at a market in the town of Gombe, south of Damaturu, on Thursday that killed at least 49 people who were shopping for the Eid celebrations.

"There were two blasts near the Eid prayer ground," said Ahmad Adamu, a security volunteer in Damaturu said of Friday's attacks.

"The first blast went off around 7:15 am (0615 GMT) while security volunteers... were waiting for the worshippers so they could assist in crowd control," he said.

"While we were attending to the victims, we heard another blast about 500 metres (yards) away."

This year's Ramadan has been particularly deadly in Nigeria, with suicide bombers hitting mosques and worshippers gunned down as they prayed.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon through his spokesman condemned the attacks at "a sacred time for families and communities to come together," saying they "constitute an assault on the beliefs of all people".

Damaturu is the capital of Yobe, one of three northeastern states worst affected by the insurgency.

Nigeria's new army chief Major General Tukur Buratai was due to visit Damaturu on Friday to celebrate Eid with soldiers battling Boko Haram, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group that has seized swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Buhari, a former military head of state, has made the fight against the Nigerian jihadist group one of the main planks of his administration. He has sacked the military top brass he inherited from his predecessor and Buratai was named to the post only this week.

Topping the agenda of Buhari's talks with Obama "will be measures to strengthen and intensify bilateral and international cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria and west Africa", according to the Nigerian presidency.

Relations suffered in the latter part of former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan's rule, with Abuja considering US aid to fight Boko Haram insufficient.

The west African nation decided to halt a US training programme for an army battalion which would have developed into a unit to take on the militants.

Boko Haram has taken advantage of the transitional period between Buhari's installation and the deployment of a regional force of 8,700 troops, scheduled for late July, to launch deadly attacks on an almost daily basis.

abu-cdc/cah/mtp

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

N'Djamena, Tchad | AFP | vendredi 17/07/2015 - 14:13 GMT

Le président tchadien Idriss Déby Itno a promis vendredi qu'il ne "reculerait jamais" devant les islamistes nigérians de Boko Haram, dans une première réaction à l'attentat-suicide qui a fait au moins 15 morts le 11 juillet au marché central de N'Djamena.

"Nous ne reculerons jamais devant Boko Haram; Boko Haram finira par disparaître un jour de lui-même", a assuré le chef de l’État, qui a engagé son armée dans la guerre contre les islamistes nigérians, dans un message à l'occasion des festivités marquant la fin du mois de jeûne du ramadan.

"Les attentats successifs ont causé des dizaines de morts, des centaines des blessés et 105 d'entre eux resteront handicapés toute leur vie", a rappelé M. Déby.

Avant l'attentat du 11 juillet, Boko Haram avait revendiqué une double attaque ayant fait 38 morts mi-juin à N'Djamena, la première du genre dans la capitale.

Dans la foulée, pour renforcer la sécurité, le gouvernement avait interdit sur tout le territoire le port du voile islamique intégral, régulièrement utilisé par Boko Haram pour dissimuler des explosifs lors d'attenants-suicide.

"Les mesures prises par le gouvernement doivent être appliquées, j'insiste sur le port de la burqa (nom donné en Afrique centrale au voile islamique intégral, ndlr). Ça ne fait pas partie ni de notre société, ni de notre religion, ni de notre tradition", a marqué le président: "là dessus, je suis intraitable: les mesures doivent être appliquées dans toute leur rigueur".

Qualifiant une nouvelle fois les membres de Boko Haram de "drogués, de fous et d'illuminés", il a affirmé que "ces tueurs ont derrière eux des gens qui les financent, les entraînent et les équipent", sans autres précisions sur ces soutiens.

Confronté également aux attaques des islamistes, le Cameroun a aussi interdit le port du voile intégral dans la région de l'Extrême-Nord, frontalière des fiefs nigérians des islamistes et du Tchad.

Face à la recrudescence des attentats en Afrique centrale, le Gabon - épargné par les violences - a également décidé mardi d'intensifier les contrôles des femmes portant le voile.

yas-mc/dom

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Context :

Suite a l'attaque du Village de Assaga Nigeria, a la date du 27 juin 2015, le Gouverveneur de la region de Diffa a donner l'ordre a la population de deux localites de quiter les villages. Les personnes de ces deux localites (Assaga Nigéria et Assaga Niger) sont accueillies dans un espace libre sur la RN1 après le village de Garin Dogo.

Une mission a ete organisee par l'equipe UNHCR terrain de Diffa afin de proceder a une evaluation rapide de besoins en date du 7 juillet 2015.

Niamey, 17 juillet 2015 (IRIN) - Il y a six mois, quand Koné Kabiné, 26 ans, a quitté Abidjan, la capitale ivoirienne, il n'imaginait pas qu'il finirait dans un centre pour migrants au Niger, grièvement blessé, et qu'il serait rapidement renvoyé vers un pays qu'il voulait à tout prix quitter.

Cela faisait longtemps que M. Kabiné rêvait de se rendre en Europe pour y faire fortune, car il avait entendu dire que bon nombre de ses amis et voisins l'avaient fait.

« Quand je me suis retrouvé au chômage, je ne pouvais plus vivre sans travail, sans rien à faire là-bas », a-t-il expliqué à IRIN.

Il lui a fallu quelques mois pour préparer son départ et mettre de l'argent de côté. Il a vendu son dernier bien de valeur, une voiture qu'il avait mis plusieurs années à réparer dans un garage où il avait travaillé. Puis, avec la bénédiction de sa famille, il a pris quelques affaires, caché tout son argent dans ses poches et est monté dans un bus.

M. Kabiné a parcouru plus de 2 500 km : le bus a traversé la Côte d'Ivoire, du Sud au Nord, puis le Burkina Faso, d'Est en Ouest, avant d'arriver à Agadez, un carrefour des routes migratoires, au Niger. De là, M. Kabiné espérait continuer sa route vers le Nord pour rejoindre la Libye, trouver un bateau pour faire la traversée de la Méditerranée et se rendre en Italie.

Comme bon nombre de migrants ouest-africains, M. Kabiné n'a jamais atteint sa destination finale. Il a eu un accident de la route – ils sont très fréquents dans la région – non loin de la frontière libyenne. La voiture dans laquelle il avait pris place à faire plusieurs tonneaux.

« J'ai perdu beaucoup de sang et je suis tombé dans le coma », se souvient M. Kabiné, qui a aussi eu les deux jambes brisées.

Des amis qui avaient entendu parler de l'accident l'ont ramené à Niamey, la capitale nigérienne, et il a été accueilli au centre d'accueil pour les migrants dirigé par l'Organisation internationale pour la migration (OIM).

« Quand on nous l'amené, il ne pouvait pas marcher », a dit Douada Mahamadou, le directeur du centre.

Avec l'aide de l'OIM, qui l'a aidé à contacter ses proches en Côte d'Ivoire, et après plus d'un moins de repos, M. Kabiné est sur le point de rentrer à Abidjan avec des dizaines d'autres migrants ivoiriens qui n'ont pas réussi à se rendre en Europe.

Un cas parmi d'autres

Depuis le début de l'année, plus de 5 600 personnes qui tentaient de migrer en Europe ont été expulsées de Niamey vers leur pays d'origine, d'après Paloma Casaseca, responsable adjointe des programmes de l'OIM au Niger.

« Ils sont deux fois plus nombreux que l'année dernière », a dit à IRIN Mme Casaseca. « Ce sont en majorité des personnes qui n'ont pas réussi à atteindre leur objectif, à cause d'un manque de ressources ou de problèmes de santé ou parce que le pays hôte veut les expulser ».

D'après l'OIM, plus de 100 000 Africains de l'Ouest traverseront le Niger cette année pour se rendre en Europe.

Bon nombre d'entre eux n'atteindront même pas les côtes de l'Algérie, de la Libye ou du Maroc et ne pourront pas effectuer la périlleuse traversée en bateau, l'étape la plus emblématique de ce phénomène migratoire complexe.

LIRE : Le Somaliland perd ses jeunes, attirés par l’Europe

Les voies d'accès sont difficiles à pratiquer dans les vastes étendues de sable, notamment dans les vieilles camionnettes et autres véhicules délabrés. Souvent, quand un véhicule tombe en panne, les passagers meurent de déshydratation avant l'arrivée des secours. Ceux qui sont retrouvés sont parfois renvoyés chez eux. D'autres tombent entre les mains de passeurs et sont réduits au travail forcé ou à la prostitution.

« Au Niger, nous n'avons pas de chiffres pour décrire la crise qui se joue dans le désert et qui fait probablement autant de victimes que la crise méditerranéenne », a expliqué Mme Casaseca.

Nécessité de réformes

Bon nombre de migrants hébergés au centre d'accueil de l'OIM à Niamey ont dit à IRIN qu'ils n'étaient pas conscients des dangers qu'ils couraient. Ils avaient juste entendu parler d'une route qui pouvait les mener en Europe.

« Bon nombre d'amis et de frères ont réussi à traverser le désert et à rejoindre l'Europe, alors pourquoi ne suivrions-nous pas le même chemin ? », a demandé Bouaro Idrissa, un Sénégalais de 27 ans, qui allait bientôt être expulsé de Niamey.

La réalité est très différente et M. Kabiné l'a appris à ses dépends.

« J'ai quitté la Côte d’Ivoire avec environ 2 000 dollars en poche et je n'avais plus un sou avant même d'arriver en Libye », a-t-il dit à IRIN. « A chacun des dizaines de points de contrôle, nous avons dû verser des pots-de-vin de 20 dollars à 70 dollars, sans compter les tarifs encore plus élevés des passeurs ».

Située à trois jours de route de la frontière libyenne, la ville d'Agadez, au centre du Niger, est le point de transit majeur pour les Africains de l'Ouest qui veulent traverser le désert du Sahara.

Il y a de très nombreux camps de passeurs et les policiers ferment souvent les yeux sur les camions de migrants qu'ils croisent, si on leur donne de l'argent bien sûr.

Le Niger a pris des mesures supplémentaires pour lutter contre le trafic de migrants en 2013, quand 92 de ses citoyens ont trouvé la mort dans le désert algérien au cours de leur périple vers l'Europe. Ces mesures incluent la création de l'Agence nationale de lutte contre le trafic des personnes et de la Commission nationale de lutte contre le trafic d'êtres humains. Plus récemment, en mai, l'Assemblée nationale a adopté la loi contre le trafic d'êtres humains.

Cette nouvelle loi est la première du genre dans la région ; elle prévoit des peines de prison allant jusqu'à 30 ans pour les passeurs reconnus coupables.

« (Le trafic de migrants) affecte, d'une manière ou d'une autre, presque toutes les régions du Niger », a dit Marou Amadou, le ministre de la Justice du Niger, qui évoque la situation du pays dans le Sahel, ses frontières poreuses, l'analphabétisme de sa population et la tentation pour les Nigériens pauvres de gagner de l'argent facilement en participant au commerce des migrants.

Le gouvernement nigérien a demandé 4,1 millions de dollars supplémentaires aux bailleurs de fonds pour financer un plan d'action de cinq ans visant à renforcer ses capacités de lutte contre les passeurs et à venir en aide aux victimes.

Mais pour M. Kabiné et bon nombre d'autres migrants, il est déjà trop tard.

« Je suis complètement découragé et je me sens trahi par les pratiques trompeuses [des passeurs] », a dit à IRIN M. Kabiné.

« Pour l'instant, je dois juste me concentrer sur ma guérison », a-t-il dit. « Après on verra ».

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17 July 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon today condemned the terrorist attacks that killed over 60 people in the towns of Gombe and Damaturu, in northeast Nigeria over the last two days.

“These heinous crimes came as the victims, along with Nigerians nationwide, were conducting Eid prayers, a sacred time for families and communities to come together. As such, the attacks constitute an assault on the beliefs of all people,” said the UN Spokesperson in a statement issued this afternoon.

Mr. Ban offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

“The Secretary-General reaffirms his solidarity with the people of Nigeria and reiterates the UN's support for the Nigerian government in its fight against terrorism, while upholding human rights,” adds the statement.

According to the media, explosive devices were detonated today outside two sites where Muslims worshippers were gathering for prayers in the town of Damaturu. At least 12 people were killed in the blasts. Yesterday, two simultaneous bombings hit a market in the city of Gombe, killing at least 48 people and injuring many others.

UNICEF response highlights

• A contract for the direct construction of 15 boreholes in 5 municipalities hosting displaced people has been finalized. The boreholes will complement the ongoing activities of UNICEF partners IEDA, IRC and ACTED aimed at improving hygiene and sanitation conditions in the 5 municipalities.

• UNICEF supported the organization of a technical workshop on mobile clinics involving emergency health actors, aiming at revising and harmonizing the service package offered and chaired by the Ministry of Health.

• With UNICEF, COOPI has installed psychosocial support units in the transit sites Gagamari, Chetimari, Nguigmi, Kablewa, Gueskerou and the Sayam Forage refugee camp, and Kimégana temporary site. As of June 30th , COOPI has reached 10,766 children, thereby exceeding an initial target of 9,750 children. UNICEF and COOPI are also collaborating to strengthen the capacity of social workers in Niamey, who provide support to 44 children arrested and suspected of being associated with armed groups.

• To ensure access to quality primary education for displaced communities, UNICEF in collaboration with COOPI identified 11 schools integrating displaced children and 1 training centre. UNICEF is building 17 classrooms, training teachers, and providing educational supplies for teachers and children.

Niamey, Niger | AFP | Saturday 7/18/2015 - 16:14 GMT

Boko Haram jihadists killed 16 civilians in an attack this week on a southeast Niger village, near the Nigerian border, a local official said Saturday.

"On July 15, Boko Haram elements fired on locals who were praying in a village near the town of Bosso," said Bako Mamadou, mayor of Bosso, a town in southeast Niger on the border with Nigeria, where the armed Islamist group originated.

"They killed 15 people on the spot and another person succumbed later to their wounds," Mamadou said on state television.

According to the Bosso mayor, four others were injured in the attack.

Meanwhile the Niger army said Saturday it had killed 32 Boko Haram fighters from July 15-17 during "sweeping up" operations following the July 15 attack by "Boko Haram elements".

The defence ministry added that three Islamist fighters were taken into custody, adding that Chadian soldiers also took part in the operation.

Nigeria and Niger, along with Chad and Cameroon, have launched a joint offensive to end Boko Haram's six-year insurgency, which has claimed at least 15,000 lives and caused about 1.5 million people to flee their homes.

There has been a recent spate of Boko Haram attacks in Niger's southeast Diffa region following weeks of relative calm.

The upsurge in attacks on civilians comes after the four-nation coalition pushed the militants out of territory they had seized in northeast Nigeria.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Niamey, Niger | AFP | samedi 18/07/2015 - 16:06 GMT

Au moins 16 personnes ont été tuées mercredi au Niger dans l'attaque d'un village attribuée à Boko Haram, selon un élu local, et l'armée a annoncé samedi avoir riposté en abattant 32 militants du groupe islamiste nigérian.

"Le 15 juillet des éléments de Boko Haram ont tiré sur des villageois qui priaient dans un village, près de la ville de Bosso. Ils ont tué 15 personnes sur place et une autre personne a succombé plus tard à ses blessures", a déclaré samedi à la télévision d'Etat Bako Mamadou, le maire de Bosso, une ville du sud-est du Niger frontalière avec le Nigeria.

Quatre autres personnes ont été blessées lors de cette attaque, selon lui.

De son côté, l'armée nigérienne a affirmé samedi avoir tué 32 combattants islamistes "entre le 15 et le 17 juillet", au cours "d'opérations de ratissages" qu'elle a engagées à la suite de l'attaque du 15 juillet perpétrée par "des éléments de Boko Haram".

"Le bilan global provisoire est le suivant: coté forces de Défense et de sécurité rien à signaler. Côté ennemi 32 éléments de Boko Haram tués, trois (faits) prisonniers dont un émir (de Boko Haram)", a précisé le ministère nigérien de la Défense dans un communiqué lu à la télévision d'Etat.

Des motos et du matériel des islamistes ont été "détruits", assure le communiqué, sans préciser si les militaires du Tchad, également présents dans cette zone, ont participé aux opérations. Après des semaines d'accalmie, Boko Haram a repris ses attaques dans la région de Diffa, une province proche du sud-est du Nigeria.

Les islamistes avaient attaqué dimanche dernier la prison de Diffa, tuant un gardien, selon les autorités locales, trois des assaillants périssant aussi dans cette attaque. Le 9 juillet, cinq personnes avaient été égorgées à Dagaya, un village situé près de Bosso, dans une attaque attribuée à Boko Haram par le maire de Bosso.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Syntèse par pays

• Niger : la tendance générale des prix est à la stabilité voire à la baisse pour les céréales sèches, sauf sur le marché d’Agadez où les prix du sorgho et du maïs sont en hausse respectivement de 10% et 9%. Les baisses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil à Zinder (-4%), à Dosso et Niamey (-3%), ii) pour le sorgho à Maradi et Niamey (-9%) et à Dosso (-3%) et enfin, iii) pour le maïs à Dosso (-8%) et à Niamey (-6%).

• Mali : la tendance générale des prix des céréales est à la stabilité. Toutefois quelques hausses ont été observées sur certains marchés, notamment pour les céréales sèches. Aucune baisse de prix n’a été enregistrée sur aucun marché. Les hausses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil à Kayes (+5%) et à Mopti et Gao (+3 %), ii) pour le sorgho à Mopti (+6%) et à Kayes (+3%), iii) pour le maïs à Mopti (+10%) et à Bamako et Kayes (+3%), iv) pour le riz local à Gao (+7%) et à Bamako (+4%).

• Burkina : la tendance générale des prix est à la stabilité pour le riz, à la baisse pour le mil et le sorgho et à la hausse pour le maïs. Les hausses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil à Dori (+11%) et à Kongoussi (+3%), ii) pour le sorgho à Fada (+7%) et pour le maïs à Dori (+14%), à Bobo (+8%), à Ouagadougou (+7%) et Nouna et Fada (+4%). Le prix du riz est stable sur tous les marchés sauf à Kongoussi (-3%). Les baisses ont été enregistrées pour le mil à Dédougou (-6%) et à Ouagadougou et Nouna (-3%), pour le sorgho à Dédougou (-7%), Ouagadougou, Bobo et Nouna (-3%).

Brussels, 17 July 2015- On 15 and 16 July, the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Sahel, Ms. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie, met in Brussels with officials of the European Union to discuss collaboration between the two entities and ways to help overcome the challenges in the Sahel.

During her mission, Ms. Guebre Sellassie had a series of meetings, including with Mr. Alain Le Roy, EU Secretary-General of the External Action Service; Mr. Michel Reveyrand de Menthon, Special Representative of the European Union for the Sahel; Mr. Tung- Lai Margue, Director of Foreign Policy Instrument and Head of Service; and Ms. Carla Montesi, Director of International Cooperation for Central and West Africa;

Ms. Guebre Sellassie discussed the need to strengthen coordination between the two organizations and to identify priority areas of cooperation for maximized impact of interventions in the region. She also reiterated the importance of maintaining an operational partnership between the two entities.

Both entities agreed on the need to enhance coordination and explore opportunities for programmatic collaboration.

Bureau de la Communication et de l’Information Publique
Kouider Zerrouk, Chef de bureau – (+221) 33-869-8560 / 77- 3324928 – zerrouk@un.org
Vicky Delore Ndjeuga, Chargé de communication – (+221) 33-869-8544 / 77- 3339414 – ndjeuga@un.org
Angelita Mendy Diop, Chargée de communication – (+221) 33-869-8547 / 77-450-6181– mendya@un.org

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSMA travelled to Brussels to meet European Union officials and discuss the support of the institutions and countries of Europe in reestablishing lasting peace in Mali.

During his visit, Mr. Mongi Hamdi was received, separately, by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Belgium, Mr. Didier Reynders, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Federica Mogherini.

Mr. Hamdi stressed that the completion of the process of signing the Peace Agreement on 20 June 2015 constituted notable progress. He also reiterated that the international community should remain firmly committed to supporting the peace process in Mali.

“For the population to continue to believe in the peace process, it has to rapidly feel its dividends, in various forms, such as the provision of water and electricity or the reopening of schools that were closed because of the crisis,” Mr. Hamdi said.

He also seized the opportunity to thank the European Union and its Member States for their important contributions to MINUSMA. He discussed the modalities for cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union for the implementation of the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement.

Mr. Hamdi concluded by stressing the importance of the role that the Malian parties need to play in the implementation of the peace agreement, with the support of the international community.