Niger - IOM has launched a regional border management project to support security in the Sahel countries of Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania with the specific aim of enhancing cross-country knowledge and capacities at the countries’ national borders.
Funded by the Government of Japan, the 12-month project “Enhancing Border Security in the Sahel” will support and strengthen regional and national approaches to border management through the development of training modules on passport examination, risk analysis and modern investigation techniques, which will be rolled-out through training of trainers and duplication in the border regions. Border officials will also be supported in efficiently identifying fraud, threats or latent risks.
Selected border posts in the region will be refurbished and equipped with IOM’s border management information system MIDAS, which will enhance the countries’ capacities to collect, store and analyze data at the borders and national level.
The Sahel region represents one of the most unpredictable and volatile regions in Africa today. Facing numerous security threats, the states in the Sahel are not sufficiently equipped to effectively control their borders, ensure human security, or prevent and respond to these threats. Recent conflicts in the region and the Ebola outbreak have once more highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation and all-inclusive, protection-sensitive border management.
“Efficient border management is a key step towards development and security in the Sahel region,” said IOM Niger Chief of Mission, Giuseppe Loprete. “At the same time, border management cannot ignore the human and humanitarian factors. Borders also need to be protection sensitive to people in need, including in cases of massive influxes, and the development of mechanisms to ensure preparedness to situations of humanitarian needs at the borders will be equally high on the agenda of the project.”
The project will seek to involve central, regional and local levels of border and law enforcement authorities, but also cross-border communities, to achieve enhanced cooperation and coordination in ensuring security through border management.
For further information, please contact Giuseppe Loprete at IOM Niger, Tel: +227 980 543 31, Email gloprete@iom.int
