Niger’s junta revokes a key law that had slowed migration for Africans desperate to reach Europe

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Niger’s junta says it has signed a decree revoking a 2015 law that was enacted to curb the smuggling of international migrants traveling through a key migration route in Niger en route to Europe. A government circular issued on Monday noted that all those convicted under the law should be listed by various legal authorities for the Ministry of Justice to consider their eligibility for release. Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, repealed the law in a Nov. 25 decree. Niger’s Agadez region had been a key route for Africans trying to reach Libya to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.