World News | Niger's Junta Revokes Key Law That Slowed Migration for Africans Desperate to Reach Europe

Abuja (Nigeria), Nov 28 (AP) Niger's junta has signed a decree revoking a 2015 law that was enacted to curb the smuggling of migrants travelling from African countries through a key migration route in Niger en route to Europe, according to a government circular.

"The convictions pronounced pursuant to said law and their effects shall be cancelled," Niger's junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, said in a November 25 decree, a copy of which was seen Monday by The Associated Press.

Also Read | Thailand Wedding Horror: 'Drunk' Groom Guns Down Wife, Three Others at Reception in Nam Khieo; Later Dies by Suicide.

All those convicted under the law would be considered for release by the Ministry of Justice, Ibrahim Jean Etienne, the secretary general of the justice ministry said in the circular issued on Monday.

The revocation of the law adds a new twist to growing political tensions between Niger and EU countries that sanctioned the West African nation in response to the July coup that deposed its democratically elected president and brought the junta into power.

Also Read | Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal Extended: Israel and Hamas Agree To Extend Truce for Two More Days, and Free More Hostages and Prisoners.

Niger's Agadez region is a gateway from West Africa to the Sahara and it has been a key route both for Africans trying to reach Libya to cross the Mediterranean to Europe and for those who are returning home with help from the United Nations.

But the route has also become a lucrative place for people smugglers, prompting Niger's government, working with the European Union, to sign the 2015 law to stop the movement of at least 4,000 migrants which the UN estimates travel through Agadez every week without travel documents.

The law empowered security forces and the courts to prosecute smugglers who faced up to five years in prison if convicted.

While the law transformed Niger into a migration hub housing thousands of migrants being returned to their countries, the UN human rights office has also noted that it "led migrants to seek increasingly dangerous migratory routes, leading to increased risks of human rights violations".

Following the July 26 coup, which deposed Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, Western and European countries suspended aid for health, security and infrastructure needs to the country, which relies heavily on foreign support as one of the least developed nations in the world.

Rather than deter the soldiers who deposed Bazoum, the sanctions have resulted in economic hardship for Nigeriens and emboldened the junta. It has set up a transitional government that could remain in power for up to three years. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)