Serve as a Role Model : A Migrant Makes Leadership Bloom in the Heart of the Sahara Desert

Agadez – Ibrahima is the delegate of 293 Malians currently staying at the transit centre run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the city of Agadez, in the heart of  Sahara desert in Niger. He has been there for the past three weeks.

The family man, who was living in the region of Koulikoro in southwest Mali, left behind his wife and children in search of a better life in 2008.

“In my village in Mali, I used to sell water. One day, I made enough money and decided to leave. I went directly to Morocco hoping to continue by sea to Spain,” he recounts. “The boat journey was a disaster, some even died at sea. We were eventually returned to Morocco.”

But Ibrahima was determined to try again and reach Europe, this time through Algeria.

“I decided to risk the journey again and walk the whole way. Once there, I ended up stranded in Assamaka at the border with Algeria,” Ibrahima says.

In September 2022, with no means to continue or go back home, Ibrahima found his way to IOM's transit centre in Assamaka, a commune in the Agadez region. A few days later, he was transferred to IOM’s transit centre in Arlit before finally arriving at the centre in Agadez whichhosts 1,670 migrants. In the OIM centres, migrants receive shelter, food, water, medical care, and psychosocial support.

With over 1,000 people in the same place, tensions between the different migrant communities at the centre sometimes run high. “After all we have been through, small arguments sometimes lead to verbal or physical confrontation that need to be appeased or prevented so that we do not become enemies,” Ibrahima indicates.

To facilitate the dialogue between IOM staff and migrants, a system of country representatives has been set up. Each delegate’s role is crucial in maintaining peace and promoting social cohesion amongst the different migrant communities.

“Each community appoints a representative to solve their problems. The representatives are intermediaries between the migrant community and IOM,” explains Ibrahima. “My compatriots chose me, and it is with honor that I have accepted to represent them.”

“The role of the delegate is to help the members of his community. Most of them can't read or write, and don't speak neither French nor English. They only speak and understand their mother tongue. We help them understand all the key messages shared by the staff,” Ibrahima continues.

The delegates also promote the services available in the centre and sensitize migrants on the importance of participating in recreational activities. “I help them understand why these activities are important. With my background in culture, I even contribute to the activities,” he says. “I have come up with initiatives such as the 'one migrant child, one book' programme that enables all young migrants in the centre, especially children, to access books.”

Finally, to facilitate voluntary returns to the countries of origin, the delegates are also intermediaries for the logistics related to departures. “We help the staff check if our compatriots have valid travel documents. We also help verify if they have their COVID-19 vaccination cards, if they don't, we sensitize them on getting vaccinated.”

The delegates are a key pillar for the smooth running of the centre. For Ibrahima, this experience will be helpful when he returns, and he knows that these are among the few memories from his migration journey that he is proud to take home.

While waiting for his departure in a few weeks, Ibrahima pursues his work and hopes his efforts will continue at the centre through future delegates. In the meantime, he is looking forward to return to his family in Mali and build a new life carrying the luggage of his migration journey but also his experience that  people, especially his children look up to.

“I think I have brought a valuable contribution to the transit centre. I tell my friends, the delegates, to keep persevering. It's a big responsibility, but it is rewarding.”

This story was written by Aïssatou Sy, Public Information Officer with IOM Niger, aisy@iom.int.