FUNDING: DUTCH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
This project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supports the creation and empowerment of a regional network of local leaders — including youth — across key cross-border areas, particularly between Niger and Libya. This network will be able to collaborate with states and regional institutions to manage local tensions and secure border areas in an inclusive manner that respects the interests and values of all stakeholders. The Niger-Libya framework is not restrictive and could be extended to neighboring countries, such as Algeria and Chad, based on their interest.
Indeed, political decisions made over recent decades, particularly regarding migration policy, as well as the consequences of national and regional conflicts, have largely contributed to weakening the role of these cross-border communities. These territories have increasingly fallen under the influence of trafficking networks, illicit business, and armed groups. Meanwhile, central authorities often lack the political and financial means to control these areas and communities, often finding themselves forced to confront armed actors in the zone. Cross-border communities must be brought back to the center of regional cooperation efforts. The repeal of Law No. 2015-36 of May 26, 2015, by the Nigerien authorities in November 2023 has made the need to support cross-border cooperation in a constructive and inclusive manner even more significant.
- Facilitate dialogue between local elites, youth, armed groups, and government officials in the Sahelo-Saharan border regions.
Through the implementation of the Action, Promediation seeks to reactivate cooperation at the regional level. In 2018, the governments of Chad, Libya, Sudan, and Niger launched a regional cooperation process, led by their respective Ministers of the Interior. This Action could follow up on these initial meetings and could reactivate this regional process through the Niger-Libya pairing, pending the integration of the other two countries.
Promediation organized the 8th edition of its Maghreb-Sahel Seminar in December 2023. The event aimed to bring together experts, civil society, and local authorities to assess ongoing changes and explore coordinated responses to security and political challenges in the Sahel and Maghreb. - Develop a network of local community actors working on detailing the operationalization of mechanisms to facilitate and regularize cross-border movements.
Promediation will organize consultation meetings in the region with representatives of cross-border communities (armed groups, influential leaders, youth), and local authorities if necessary, to discuss identified needs and co-design practical, community-approved mechanisms for managing cross-border movements. These gatherings should also foster trust and build a sustainable network capable of engaging with national authorities and providing guarantees, building on the discussions held during the 8th Maghreb-Sahel Seminar. - Mobilize and empower local structures involving local community leaders and actors with the capacity to identify, prevent, and manage conflicts.
Beyond the reflective work involving trans-Saharan communities and government representatives from the region to regulate movement, the program aims to help legitimize local regulation methods, support processes that ensure social cohesion in a context of increasing tensions and erosion, and develop spaces for consultation, dialogue, and negotiation