ISTANBUL 

The repeal of the law criminalizing migrant trafficking in Niger, the deepening civil war in Sudan, and Chad's limited control capacity have, instead of halting irregular migration in North Africa and the Sahel, diverted it to clandestine routes, transforming the region into a crossroads of a global "crime network" where war, gold, and human trafficking are intertwined.

Africa’s Sahel region and its northern belt have remained among the most active centers of irregular migration and human smuggling for the past quarter century.

According to international data compiled by Anadolu, political and security developments centered on Niger, Sudan, and Chad have significantly reshaped irregular migration dynamics in the Sahel and North Africa in recent years.

Niger becomes a key country in migration routes

Migration routes originating from West Africa converge in Agadez and head toward Libya and the Mediterranean, which has made Niger one of the key countries in irregular migration movements in the Sahel.

Law No. 2015-36, passed by the Niger Parliament and implemented in 2016, criminalized migrant transportation with severe prison sentences, driving migration activities underground in the region.

Following the military coup in 2023, the new administration announced in November 2023 that it had completely repealed the law, which had been implemented with the support of the EU.

Despite the repeal, smuggling networks that had strengthened underground over the years did not move their activities into a visible or controllable space. Instead, migration shifted to different and more dangerous routes.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) argue that the repeal has not made migration activities more transparent.

According to UNODC, eight years of operating underground allowed smuggling networks to professionalize and integrate more deeply with local militias and radical groups.

Chad emerges as a new hub triggered by Sudan’s war

Legal uncertainty in Niger and pressure along Libya’s borders have pushed some smuggling networks toward Chad, where oversight capacity is weaker.

Long a secondary player on migration maps, Chad became a key actor after the civil war that erupted in Sudan in 2023 and intensified through 2024-2025.

According to the UN refugee agency data, more than 1.2 million refugees fleeing Sudan’s conflict have sought refuge in Chad, turning the country into a difficult-to-control transit hub toward Libya and the Mediterranean.

Smuggling networks use weakening zones

After Niger and Chad, Mali and Sudan have emerged as key feeder zones sustaining irregular migration and human smuggling networks across the Sahel.

Following tighter controls in Niger, migration routes have shifted westward through Mali toward Algeria, exploiting the weakening of state authority in Mali’s northern regions.

Sudan’s ongoing civil war has pushed the country into one of the world’s largest displacement crises, further fueling instability across the Sahel.

Uncontrolled areas along the Sudan-Chad-Libya axis pose heightened risks for human trafficking, as displaced populations seek survival options amid deteriorating conditions.

Many Sudanese refugees, unable to endure harsh living conditions in camps, are drawn into smuggling networks that channel them toward Libya and other North African countries, reinforcing a regional ecosystem in which conflict, forced displacement, and organized crime are tightly intertwined.

Women and children pay the highest price

According to UNODC’s 2025 analyses, children account for around 40% of human trafficking victims in the region.

Illegal gold mines in the Sahara have become “modern slavery” stops for migrants dreaming of Europe, while women face widespread sexual violence and abuse along remote transit routes. Unaccompanied children are at high risk of forced labor, begging, or recruitment by armed groups.