MOSCOW
The aim of the operation was to improve migrant rescues and strengthen the government of Niger's migration management capacity, the IOM added.
"IOM together with Niger’s Department of Civil Protection (DCP) covered more than 1,400 km [870 miles] at the end of July in the northern part of the country to identify the challenges and changes in flows and migratory routes, whilst also rescuing more than 150 migrants in distress," the organization stressed.
According to the IOM figures, more than 60,000 individuals have been registered entering Niger since January, and only half of this number were observed leaving the country through the migrant flow monitoring points in Seguedine and Arlit cities.
Niger is one of the least developed countries in the world with the poorest social, economic and development indicators, according to the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI). Volatile situation in such neighboring countries as Libya, Nigeria and Mali as well as internal conflict in Niger's certain regions are among the key factors affecting the migration situation in the country.
