North Africa and Sahel transform into nexus for migrant smuggling

Political instability and conflict in key transit nations have reshaped the landscape of irregular migration, solidifying North Africa and the Sahel region as a critical global crossroads for human smuggling networks. According to international data, the repeal of anti-smuggling laws in Niger, the civil war in Sudan, and limited state control in Chad have not stopped migration but instead diverted it to more clandestine and perilous routes.

Niger's policy reversal and the rise of clandestine networks

For decades, migration routes from West Africa have converged in Niger's city of Agadez before heading toward Libya. A 2016 law that criminalized migrant transportation with severe penalties was repealed by the new military administration in late 2023. However, this has not brought the trade into the open. Instead, after eight years of operating underground, smuggling networks have professionalized and deepened ties with armed groups, shifting activities to less monitored and more dangerous paths, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Chad emerges as a key hub amid Sudan's war

The conflict in Sudan has had a profound spillover effect, turning neighboring Chad into a major transit hub. Over 1.2 million refugees have fled to Chad, creating a large, vulnerable population that smuggling networks exploit to channel people toward Libya and the Mediterranean. Chad's limited oversight capacity, combined with pressure on Libya's borders and legal uncertainty in Niger, has made it an attractive new base for traffickers.

A regional ecosystem of crime and exploitation

The crisis extends beyond transit nations. Tighter controls have pushed routes westward through Mali, exploiting weakened state authority in its north. Sudan's war has created one of the world's largest displacement crises, fueling the smuggling economy. In this intertwined ecosystem of conflict and crime, the most vulnerable pay the highest price. UNODC analyses indicate that children make up around 40% of trafficking victims in the region, facing forced labor or recruitment, while women endure widespread sexual violence along remote desert routes.