April 2018

West Africa Monthly 4Mi Update

Covering data collected by 4Mi in Mali and Niger in April Please visit our website or sign up to the mailing list here

Overview

In April, the Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism Initiative (4Mi) conducted 311 in-depth interviews with migrants and refugees in West Africa, including 104 people in Agadez and Niamey in Niger; and 207 people in Mopti, Gao, Ber and Timbuktu in Mali.

Profiles

In April, 203 men and 108 women from 19 countries in Central and Western Africa were interviewed, with an average age of 28 years.

1. Level of education 2. Employment in country of origin

Women Men 39%

31% 31% 29% 24% 24% 25% 20% 16% 18% 14% 14% 16% 13% 13% 12% 10% 8% 8% 9% 7% 5% 12% 7% 1% 1% University Secondary Primary Religious Vocational No Farmer / Labourer Service Vendor Other job Unemployed Student degree school school education training education Farm worker industry

Asylum 3. Intention to apply for asylum

Of those interviewed, 10 respondents from Already asked for asylum 3% Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and No 38% Sudan have already applied for asylum in Niger. Don’t know 11% 48% of those interviewed said that they intend to Yes 48% apply for asylum in their country of destination.

MMC West Africa 1 April 2018 4Mi Update West Africa

Countries of intended destination

4. Motivations for departure

Economic reasons Lack of social services /poorly governed country

73% 5% Women 96% 10% Men Personal or family reasons Everybody around me was leaving 28% 4% 8% 9% Violence or general insecurity Persecution, discrimination or lack of rights 19% 5% 4% 3%

28% of women and 8% of men reported that personal or family reasons were a part of their motivation for leaving their home country. Among these respondents, 18 respondents reported having fled because of domestic violence and 17 respondents because of a death in their family. 9 women said they had fled forced marriages in Guinea, Ghana, Niger and Nigeria.

5. People who encourage to migrate Journey 48%

Friends Those interviewed in April indicated different criteria for 37% choosing their migration route, including ease of access (219), Easiest price (192), security (121), recommandations from friends or Price

family (83) or choice of route by the smuggler (35). Siblings Parents 18% 17% Other family members 48% of respondents indicated that they made the decision to Security14% Smugglers Spouse leave on their own. 37% of respondents were encouraged to 7% 5% Diaspora migrate by friends, 18% by siblings, 18% by parents and 14% 2% I made the I have been encouragedRecommanded to migrate by...by friends by other family members. decision alone Smuggler's or family choice

MMC West Africa April 2018 4Mi Update West Africa

Protection and vulnerabilities 6. Protection Incidents 13% of women and 5% of men interviewed reported that they witnessed or experienced sexual abuse. 26 cases were reported, most often 26% committed by smugglers (8 cases) and other migrants or non-related person on the move (6 cases). 16% 13% 12% 8% Women and men surveyed reported 88 cases of physical abuse, most 5% often committed by security forces, police or military (32 cases), Sexual Physical Detention smugglers (13 cases), groups of thugs (10 cases) and immigration abuse abuse officials (9 cases). 45% 44% Women Migrants and refugees interviewed also reported 53 cases of theft. These Men robberies most often concerned money (34 cases) and/or personal 18% belongings (33 cases). 16%

44% of women and 45% of men paid bribes to immigration officers, an average of three times during their journey and an average of 8,000CFA Bribes Robberies francs per bribe (14 USD).

7. Incidents map

N W E Mali Niger S Nouakchott Mauritania Agadez Gao Timbuktu Gossi Abalak Ansongo Sévaré Tahoua Dakar Senegal Kayes Dori Gaya Zinder Segou Koro Niamey Banjul Bamako Seytanga Gambia San Bissau Koutiala Guinea Bissau Ouagadougou Kantchari Sikasso Bobo Dioulasso Guinea Zegoua Benin Nigeria Conakry Abuja Free Town Ghana Sierra Leone Togo Cote d’Ivoire Cotonou Protection incident type Number of incident Monrovia Lome Physical abuse Liberia Abidjan Accra Sexual abuse Cameroon Deaths Detention Yaounde 0 500 1000 Km Robberies 1 17 34

This map includes cases of physical and sexual abuses, deaths, detention and robberies reported by migrants and refugees interviewed by the 4Mi in April in Mali Burkina Faso and Niger. These reported protection incidents were witnessed or experienced by respondents. In total, 193 incidents were reported in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in April, including 34 in Agadez, 26 in Bamako, 14 in Mopti, 13 in Sikasso and Ouagadougou, 12 in Kayes and 10 in Segou.

MMC West Africa 3 April 2018 4Mi Update West Africa

The Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism Initiative (4Mi) is an innovative approach for the collection and analysis of data along major mixed migration corridors, responding to the need for better data on protection issues with regards to asylum seekers, refugees and other people on the move. In Niger and Mali, 4Mi seeks to help fill the knowledge gaps regarding the nature of the mixed migratory movements and the protection risks for migrants and refugees on the move within and from West Africa.

4Mi data, graphics and analysis are based on the accumulated, ongoing data collection by 4Mi field monitors through direct interviews with migrants/refugees on the move. Sample sizes are clearly indicated and represent a limited section of those on the move. All findings derived from the surveyed sample of migrants/refugees and should not be used to make any inferences about the total population of any mixed migration flow.

4Mi is generously supported in Mali and Niger by UNHCR

MMC West Africa