Niger's Agadez: gateway to exile | Reporters Plus • FRANCE 24 English

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Agadez, the largest city in central Niger, has become one of the main transit points for illegal migrants from West Africa who dream of Europe. We bring you an exceptional documentary about this little-known precarious crossing, unavoidable for migrants on their way to the European continent. It’s a road filled with hope and tragedy, and above all with danger.
Every week, more than 12,000 men, women and children from West Africa take the road from Agadez, Niger's central metropolis, to Europe. They are fleeing poverty and the lack of prospects in their home countries. But Agadez is only the first step in their long and dangerous journey. First they have to cross the desert, then Libya – where they are often arrested by police – and finally the Mediterranean Sea on rickety boats. Many of them never reach their final destination.
Our reporters, Catherine Norris-Trent and Julien Sauvaget, travelled to Niger to meet these men and women who dream of a better life in Europe. Our journalists were given rare access to the "ghettos" of Agadez, including the houses where migrants wait before continuing their journey. They were also able to film how this illegal trafficking is organised, speaking to people smugglers before joining the migrants to board pick-up trucks launched at full speed across Niger’s Ténéré desert.

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