Niger - IOM has conducted three field visits to Kongokire (Niger), Sona (Mali) and Kantchari (Burkina Faso) as part of a project: "Coordinated Border Management in Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso", funded by the Government of Japan.

These technical visits, undertaken with architects and border police officers, are the first step towards the construction and rehabilitation of border posts in the three locations.

The Sahel region is currently one of the most sensitive and volatile in Africa. Faced with numerous security threats, several States in the region currently lack the resources to effectively control their porous borders and ensure the security of their citizens.

"Strengthening hardware capabilities at the borders, contributing to the welfare and safety of cross border populations and migrants, and equipping police officers to give them an efficient and healthy work environment are our priorities," said IOM project coordinator Marina Schramm.

The 12-month project will support national and regional approaches to border management through a set of interventions, primarily through strengthening the material, technical and human resource capacity of border police in the four States targeted by the project.

Following completion of the preliminary phase of the project and finalization of national border management assessments in Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso, Kongokire border post (in Niger at the Malian border), Sona (in Mali at the Burkinabè border) and Kantchari (in Burkina Faso at Nigerien border) were identified as strategic crossing points in need of rehabilitation. Construction is expected to be completed by April 2016.

The field visits also highlighted the need for better infrastructure to improve relations between cross border communities and local authorities. In addition to building border posts, IOM agreed to drill bore holes in several locations where improved access to water was identified as a priority.

For further information, please contact Marina Schramm at IOM Niger, Tel. +227.90503966, Email: mschramm@iom.int