Usages of Europe in a transit state, the case of Niger: international and domestic benefits upon security enforcement

Dauchy, Alise;et.al.
(2021) Walls and Wars: The Militarization of Contemporary Border Security Policies — Location: 8th European Workshops in International Studies, EWIS 2021, EISA (1.July.2021)

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Authors
  • Dauchy, AliseUSL-B
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  • et. al.
Abstract
In the context of the European political crisis in 2015, a Euro-African Summit is held in La Valette. Migration was then presented as a consequence of instability, crisis and lack of development in countries of origin. Hence, European and African chiefs of states announced an action plan for the following years to promote stability and address root causes of irregular migration with a “people-centered approach” . Surprisingly, Niger - located on the Sahara-Sahelian strap - became a key partner on migration topic while its population, among the poorest in the world, traditionally circulate in West Africa, but is hardly concerned with migration on the Central Mediterranean route (from Libya to Italy crossing the Sicily canal). Over the last few years, the construction of migration policies on the African continent with reference to the European action has been extensively studied. The growing interest for the issue of European Union (EU) migration policies “externalization” has been very much relevant to explore the transformation of migration laws, norms and practice, and effects on people in migration. However, the conceptual frame of “externalization” seems to be trapped in the asymmetrical relations between the EU and third countries, leading to a dividing line between what can be viewed as being external, European, and what is “endogeneous” in the construction of migration policies. Far from refuting the asymmetric structure that govern inter-states relations, the paper seeks to investigate the process by crossing different levels of analysis and political champs that turns Niger to address migration issue following 2015. In the first part, a detour by Europeanisation studies presents the EU’s external migration policy and how cooperation with third countries has been strengthened these lasts years, giving birth to “remote control” policies. The first part provides theoretical background to approach Europeanisation process with a decentered lens as well as conceptual tools to explain constant interactions and mutual influence of the different actors. The second and third parts emerge from a field in Niger. The political construction of Niger as the transit state enables to understand how migration is at stake in the regional context of transnational security threats and how « transit state » labelling works as a strategic function for benefits at international level and domestically. The article is based on semi-directed interviews conducted during two fieldworks in Niger in 2018 (five months) and 2020 (two months). Interviews were carried out with beneficiaries of EU Trust Fund, EU member states agencies (GiZ, Enabel), intergovernmental organizations, especially the IOM and others EU Trust Funds project’s representatives: the Nigerien Haute Autorité pour la Cooperation et la Paix (HACP), French AJUSEN (Appui pour la justice et la sécurité, AFD and Civipol), Spanish Gar-Si (Groupe d’Actions Rapides – surveillance et intervention au Sahel, FIIAP), French experts of Wapis (West African Police Information System, Interpol) and French and Spanish police officers of ECI (Equipe Conjointe d’Investigation). The article is based on in-depth interviews with magistrates and the Nigerien government and its specialized agencies in Niamey, Zinder and Agadez. All these interviews have been complemented by participant and non-participant observations (partners meetings, bus journeys inside the country at Benin-Niger ‘border, foreigners ‘camps and ghettos inspections in Agadez and Niamey, trials on court and magistrate audience). Information collected has been triangulated with EU officials documents and policy reports of EU external action in Niger. The article also draws on a regular press review, speeches and public statements.
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Dauchy, A., & et al. (2021). Usages of Europe in a transit state, the case of Niger: international and domestic benefits upon security enforcement. Walls and Wars: The Militarization of Contemporary Border Security Policies, 8th European Workshops in International Studies, EWIS 2021, EISA. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/166494