Eventually, Cherif was deported from the Maghreb back to a place he knows all too well – the desert city of Agadez in northern Niger, Africa’s human smuggling capital. Countries across Africa shut their borders, leaving thousands of irregular migrants like him stranded. I have spent nearly [$8,000] trying to get to Europe.”Niger is the key transit country for thousands of African migrants trying to reach the Mediterranean. The 15th-century mud-brick city of Agadez lies at the heart of smuggling operations. One smuggler, who asked not to be named, said that barely any trucks had left the city for almost five months since lockdowns went into place.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 17, 2020 17:55 UTC