Before the Desert: Conditions and risks on mixed migration routes through West Africa

The Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism initiative (4Mi), in its pilot phase in Niger and Mali, collects data on the conditions of mixed migration movements. It is implemented by the Danish Refugee Council and the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat.

Based on data collected between December 2016 and March 2017, this report attempts to present a general overview of the conditions and motivations of mixed migration flows in the West Africa region, which are seen to be the site of rapidly changing and insecure conditions. The report emphasizes the burden of administrative hindrances and harassment at border points, despite the free mobility policies of ECOWAS. In addition, reliable qualitative data is not available and producing such data presents its own challenges due to the hidden nature of some of the routes and the insecure areas through which people migrate.

This report – and the 4Mi – is an attempt at gathering relevant data on migration movements and aims to strengthen the evidence base. Data collection will continue beyond the extent of the pilot.