Smuggling of Migrants in the Sahel

Abstract

The analysis in this report is based on both quantitative and qualitative sources. The quantitative data come from the ongoing data collection system in West Africa of the Mixed Migration Centre, which provides primary data on migration flows by surveying refugees and migrants, as well as smugglers and facilitators, along frequently used migration routes and in major hubs for migration. The migrant smuggling business is multifaceted, even at the individual level. The vast majority of smugglers surveyed reported having multiple responsibilities in the smuggling process, with an overall average of four responsibilities each. Many of them also work in multiple countries: almost half of the smugglers surveyed operate in more than one country and one in five do so in four or more countries. Some refugees and migrants are subjected to exploitation and abuse during their migration journey through the Central Sahel, whether or not that journey is undertaken with smugglers. However, smugglers are less frequently cited as being perpetrators of exploitation and abuse than border officials, security forces, armed groups and criminal gangs.