Human Smuggling in Niger. What Indians should be concerned of!

In 2024, human smuggling dynamics in Niger underwent the most significant change since the crackdown on the industry, almost a decade earlier. Following the November 2023 repeal of Law 2015-2036, Niger’s controversial anti-human smuggling legislation by the reigning military junta, the Conseil National pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrie (National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland – CNSP), the transport of foreign migrants became legal. For the first time in eight years, smugglers (known locally as passeurs) were able to work in the open.

Before the criminalisation of human smuggling, Niger’s migration industry was largely legal and supported a sizeable ancillary economy that had developed over several decades. This was particularly evident in Agadez, the main departure point for Libya. However, when the Nigerien authorities began implementing the anti-smuggling law in the summer of 2016, the industry collapsed. Although some smugglers adapted and developed clandestine operations, the sector never fully recovered. The law’s repeal in November 2023 was not only a major boon for smugglers, but also for those involved in secondary services within the migration industry, such as the provision of accommodation.

This is the latest monitoring report on human smuggling in Niger from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC). It builds on the series of annual reports issued by the GI -TOC since 2019, tracking the evolution of human smuggling in Niger, as well as the political, security and economic dynamics that influence it.

North Africa and the Sahel have long been central regions for migrant movement, human smuggling and trafficking, with their importance growing steadily since the late 1990s. Today, they remain critical corridors for migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Middle East transiting towards Europe, while also serving as key origin and destination areas in their own right.

Human smuggling across these regions continues to evolve rapidly. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, significant changes have emerged in the volume and direction of migratory flows and smuggling networks. These shifts are closely linked to ongoing political, economic and security developments, including protracted conflict, governance crises and economic uncertainty.

Since 2016, the GI-TOC has monitored the political economy of human smuggling and trafficking in North Africa and the Sahel. This work was expanded and formalised in 2018 with the establishment of the North Africa and Sahel Observatory (NAS-Obs). Through annual country reports and thematic studies, the Observatory has provided a detailed understanding of the actors, routes and dynamics shaping mobility and exploitation in the region.

The 2025 series features country reports on Libya, Niger, Chad and Tunisia. Together, they capture the current transformations in human smuggling across both regions: from the persistence of hybrid smuggling systems in Libya, to evolving migration routes through Niger and Chad, and the increasing mobility of Sudanese refugees across North Africa. The reports also analyse the political and security contexts driving these trends, including the deepening conflict in Sudan, ongoing instability in Libya, and growing pressures along Tunisia’s coastal migration routes.

Why Indians should be Concerned?

Plummeting economy; Job scarcity; Low Income are considered to be the Three Quintessential issues which entice an average Indian to search for beyond the border’s opportunities. Long back the educated Indians had visited African countries under patronages from Central Government Missions (scholastics; healthcare; peace-keepings). The findings were astonishing:

• Most Africans are subtle and composed.
• They feed on organic staple foods.
• Being unexplored, opportunities are vibrant.
• Mineral Resources are abundant.  

Furthermore, by the virtue of intermingling with Indians, Africans had developed an affinity towards Indian Rice (mainly parboil). This is exactly the turning point of exodus. Business houses started venturing into African Markets with Parboil Rice. From February 2016 to April 2016, alone Contonue – economic capital of Benin (East Africa) had imported 15,000 Containers of Parboil Rice/per month.

When rice export had started bolstering, Indian traders were cunning enough in introducing Edible Palmolein Oil – which proved to be a trend setting business matrix in the continent.

More and more workforces were required to accelerate business growth, as business houses lured unemployed/under-employed Indians to work in African Soils. The reason for such interest were:

• Compensation packages in US Dollars, which usually is for sending back home.

• Plush lifestyle – full furnished accommodations; chauffer driven luxury vehicle (bought from developed countries as second hand); experienced Indian Cooks for cooking; local African women as maid for house hold chores.

• Liberty to enjoy an extraterrestrial life, opposite to that in homeland with cultural taboos.

The main countries were these people are generally sent are: Benin; Niger; Senegal; Kenya; Burkina Faso; Guinea Bissau; Togo to name a few. Barring some business houses, most of these entities ask their employees to surrender their Passports; adding further with inhuman work conditions; a bonded Machiavellian Contract for certain years – which compels one to stay back even if he finds his job traumatic. Few companies allow their employees to return back with certain punitive measures like imposing a ban on reentering the country; forfeiting his dues; self arranged return passage arrangements.

The correspondent who had travelled in such countries for work purpose has the experience of encountering such fellow Indians who were found to be deprived of using any Cell Phones, and often pledged others to lend their phones, allowing them to speak with their family members back in India.

Benin which happens to be one of the most promising countries offers a much better secured life, which has virtually been acknowledged globally. For the last several years it has been observed that ill-minded business houses lure non-oriented Indians to visit Benin for official work. Upon arrival at Cotonou (international airport) these non-oriented people are immediately transferred to Niger (mainly Maradi) where inhuman living conditions exist. There are also many who lure these people saying the vacancy is in Nigeria, but are eventually taken to Niger – a different country.

Maverick News 30 would ask any such aspiring foreign visitors to deplore the following:

• Always, try to confirm the Port of Landing:

• Cotonou (Benin) – Cardinal Bernardin Gantin International Airport, also widely known as Cadjehoun Airport.

• Niamey (Niger) – Diori Hamani International Airport. Maradi which is the main business hub is almost 540 Kilometres from Niamey traversing through the Sahara Desert.

• Ikeja, Lagos (Nigeria) – Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

• Lome (Togo) – Tokoin International Airport.

• Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) – Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, also known as Bissau-Bissalanca Airport.

• Always, ascertain the employment terms & conditions:

• Cash collection & deposit in banks. Mostly African business is carried on Cash and Carry Basis.
• Passport Surrender mandatory or not.
• Whether money is transferred by Hawala Mode or not.

Suvro Sanyal – Team Maverick