In the last two newsletters we mainly informed you about upcoming events in June and July, other topics were only touched upon. Therefore, we would like to give you some more information today, but due to the abundance of topics and activities we have to keep it short, even though we will go into much more detail in due course.

***************************************************

Specifically, we will be dealing with the following:

+++ Alarmphone Sahara: New motorbike transport taxi for the Algerian-Nigerian border, rescue in the desert, etc.

+++ Accidental death of a co-founder of Alarmphone Sahara and 4 other people in the Diffa region of Niger.

+++ Watch The Med Alarmphone: New report on the central Mediterranean (01.01. to 30.06.2022)

+++ Repression against migrants in Morocco: Experiences of a member of Afrique-Europe-Interact

+++ Mali: Mussow Lafia women's project

+++ Mali: 200 hectares for farmers' union COPON / General situation

+++ Togo: Talk at BMZ and AEI newspaper in September

+++ Talk with Federal Chancellery on food situation in Africa

+++ Review: Anti-deportation action in Tunis, Noborder camp in Nantes, New machine for Faso Kele

+++ Outlook: Commemoraction: Commemorative event and events on the book “Brennpunkt Westafrika. The Causes of Flight and What Europe Should Do”.

+++ News from other groups and networks

***************************************************

1. Alarmphone Sahara: New motorbike transport taxi for the Algerian-Nigerian border, rescue in the desert etc.

In June and July, Alarmphone Sahara activists were on the road in Germany, France and Switzerland with numerous events – including talks with members of the German parliament. At the same time, activities in Niger continued, and new activities are planned, including in Europe:

a) In July, a three-wheeled motorbike transport taxi was put into operation in Assamaka on the Algerian-Nigerian border. The tiny village of Assamaka is 15 kilometres from the point where Algeria regularly deports hundreds of people from various sub-Saharan countries (“Point Zero”). Most of the time, the deportees have to walk the 15-kilometre distance through the middle of the desert (only deportees with Nigerian identity cards are brought directly to Assamaka by bus). But with the help of the motorbike transport taxi, Alarmphone activists can now at least transport the sick and physically handicapped. On the website of the Alarmphone Sahara some photos are documented, which also give an impression of the inhospitable environment in which the people are abandoned:

https://alarmephonesahara.info/en/blog/posts/alarme-phone-sahara-tricycle-in-assamaka-practical-assistance-for-deported-persons

b) Furthermore, there was another rescue of about 20 people about 50 kilometres from Bilma in July (a detailed report has not reached us yet, but we will do so later). What was unusual about this rescue was that the driver himself called the emergency number of Alarmphone Sahara. This does not normally happen, as the drivers are afraid that they could be arrested in the course of such a rescue, as in Niger the transport of migrants has been punishable since 2016.

c) Keyword 'criminalisation': The “Law 2015/036” passed under pressure from the EU is extremely controversial in Niger. Not only because the transport, accommodation and hospitality of migrants and travellers in Niger is actually a centuries-old matter of course, but also because the law undermines the free movement of persons that has been in force in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) since 1979 (actually, all residents of ECOWAS states should be able to travel to the Niger-Algerian and Niger-Libyan borders without any problems). Against this background, Alarmphone Sahara, together with other civil society actors in West Africa and Europe, recently filed an official complaint with the competent ECOWAS court. This complaint will also be reported on 22.09.2022 during an online press conference.

d) Finally: In September, members of the Alarmphone Sahara will participate in a conference hosted by Bread for the World entitled: “In a permanent state of emergency? – Human rights challenges at the EU's external borders – and beyond the Mediterranean”:

https://www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/termin/im-permanenten-ausnahmezustand-menschenrechtliche-herausforderungen-an-den-eu-aussengrenzen-und-jenseits-des-mittelmeers-476/?no_cache=1

Afterwards, talks with politicians and events in Strasbourg and Vienna are planned (more information will follow).

***************************************************

2. accidental death of a co-founder of Alarmphone Sahara and 4 other people in the Diffa region of Niger

Last week we received the terrible news that a minibus crashed in the Diffa region in south-eastern Niger while travelling to a youth social forum. 5 people died (one of them a few days later). Among the dead was Éric Alain Kamdem, who ran a migrant shelter in Gao (Mali) and was one of the co-founders of Alarmphone Sahara. In addition to Éric, four other people were killed. They were all involved with the organisation “Alternative Espaces Citoyens”, with which we have been working regularly for years at various levels. More information about the accident and the deceased can be found on the Alarmphone Sahara website – may the dead rest in peace and the injured recover as quickly as possible:

https://alarmephonesahara.info/en/blog/posts/r-i-p-eric-alain-kamden-moustapha-moussa-tchangari-dan-karami-and-djibril-diado-amadou-alarme-phone-sahara-in-mourning

***************************************************

3 Watch The Med Alarmphone: New report on the Central Mediterranean (01.01. to 30.06.2022)

Afrique-Europe-Interact is one of the co-initiators of the Watch The Med Alarmphone – an emergency number for migrant boats on the Mediterranean Sea, which was founded in 2014. Against this background, we would like to document the latest semi-annual report (written in English) for the Central Mediterranean, which provides a detailed insight into the situation there:

https://alarmphone.org/en/2022/08/15/rising-arrivals-continuous-struggles/?post_type_release_type=post

***************************************************

4 Repression against migrants in Morocco: Experiences of a member of Afrique-Europe-Interact

Many of you may have noticed that the Moroccan police have recently intensified their crackdown on migrants – remember the at least 23 deaths at the border fence of the Spanish enclave of Melilla in June:

https://www.rnd.de/panorama/melilla-migranten-ansturm-auf-spanische-exklave-23-tote-A4T7OZZO3BBSPKXOW5JR22N2P4.html

But this repression also continues within the country, as one of our African comrades, who has European residence papers but was in Morocco in August, found out. What actually happened can be seen in a short report that the person concerned sent via Whatsapp:

“Spent more than seven hours at the police station in Rabat because I forgot my passport at home. And my phone was confiscated without the right to call someone to bring me the passport. I was finally released at 9pm and the others who didn't have a paper stayed behind to be deported that night [deportation in this case is that people are taken to more or less remote places in Morocco or in Algerian-Moroccan border]. I was on my way to church and was stopped by the police who asked me for the paper. But I realised that I had forgotten my passport. Although I showed my identity card and other documents I had in my wallet, they took me to the police station and confiscated my mobile phone. They kept me there until 9pm and brought other people with them. There were more than 30 people and the buses came to deport them to Agadir. The reason missing paper or in possession of an expired paper. […] It is really inexplicable what is happening. First of all, it is the criminals who live in the working-class neighbourhoods who are recruited to arrest the migrants, even though they cannot even read what the document says. Moreover, the arrests are carried out in a brutal manner and the criminals dressed in plain clothes do not even introduce themselves. This creates the risk of being arrested by bandits or criminals and taken to an unknown destination. It was really humiliation and mostly anger that the struggle we have been fighting is being undone. There were many migrants to be deported and there were already buses at the police station when I came out. I felt helpless especially because I did nothing for these comrades who were being deported at night. Talking to them, they told me that they would be deported and abandoned in the middle of the night around 2am or 3am either on the road to Casablanca or Agadir. What outrages me the most is the silence of everyone and everything.”

***************************************************

5 Mali: Musow Lafia women's project

Actually, our comrade Aissata Soumaoro should have come to Europe in July/August to advance the work of the feminist women's collective “Musow Lafia” on food processing at various levels (https://afrique-europe-interact.net/2133-0-Musow-Lafia.html). Among other things, meetings with potential customers of Musow Lafia's peanut paste, a food processing internship in a cooperative of the Longo Mai network in Switzerland and public events were planned. But unfortunately, contrary to our firm expectations, Aissata did not receive a visa from the Swiss embassy. We have appealed against the negative visa decision, and we will definitely make up for the visit with a new invitation through the German embassy. But what remains is the frustration that the extremely time-consuming visa application process was literally for the dustbin, not to mention that visa problems are a constant companion of our transnational work.

It is all the more gratifying that there is nevertheless a lively interest in Musow Lafia. Thus, Afrique-Europe-Interact informed about Musow Lafia and sold peanut paste at the Agrikulturfestival in Freiburg (https://agrikulturfestival.de/) on 23/07/2022. The same will take place on 3-4 September in Vienna on the occasion of a street festival of the newspaper “Volksstimme”, for which Aissata gave a longer interview (we will submit the interview later).

***************************************************

6 Mali: 200 hectares for farmers' union COPON / General social situation

The situation in Mali remains difficult, and yet there is still broad popular support for the course of the transitional government that emerged from a double coup. In the meantime, the French military has withdrawn completely, with some Russian military immediately following. As Afrique-Europe-Interact, we refrain from commenting publicly on these events, but would like to point out that many people from the Malian section of Afrique-Europe-Interact also approve of the current developments. Alassane Dicko, among others, gave a detailed account of the background in a lengthy radio interview in May:

https://rdl.de/Mali-Sanktionen-Alassane-Dicko-Teil1

In addition, our comrade Olaf Bernau was recently quoted at length in the Tagesspiegel:

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/nach-der-entscheidung-zum-mali-einsatz-menschen-in-mali-wollen-sicherheit-und-ein-besseres-leben/28597906.html

And something else concerning Mali: The farmers' union COPON, which has been supported by Afrique-Europe-Interact for many years, has now finally received the contract for the 200 hectare plot of land that was announced several years ago. On the one hand, this is a great success, but on the other hand, the 200 hectares are located in the middle of areas threatened and repeatedly attacked by Islamists. Therefore, it is not yet clear whether and when the land can be connected to the irrigation system of the Office du Niger. While this is extremely tragic in the light of the extreme land scarcity affecting many COPON members, it is unfortunately an expression of the current reality.

***************************************************

7 Togo: Talk at the BMZ and taz supplement in September

After several open letters to the German government (https://afrique-europe-interact.net/1267-0-Soziale-Krise-in-Togo.html) and a demonstration in Bonn (https://afrique-europe-interact.net/2094-0-Togo-Demo-Bonn-Bericht.html), a two-hour meeting between two representatives of the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and six members of Afrique-Europe-Interact took place in June. We will also report on this in more detail, among other things in a four-page AEI newspaper on Togo, which will be published in the daily newspaper taz on 30.09.2022.

***************************************************

8 Discussion with the Federal Chancellery on the food situation in Africa:

Already in early summer, Afrique-Europe-Interact together with various NGOs addressed a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the occasion of the food crisis in various African countries, which has been aggravated by the Ukraine war – cf. among others the following press release:

https://afrique-europe-interact.net/2134-0-PM-Welternhrungskonferenz-2022.html

On this basis, an (online) discussion took place at the Federal Chancellery on 25.08.2022, in which a representative of Afrique-Europe-Interact was also involved. More information will follow.

***************************************************

9. reviews: anti-deportation action in Tunis, Noborder camp in Nantes, new machine for Faso Kele

In addition to what has already been reported, various smaller activities have also taken place in recent weeks. These included (1) an action against deportations from Germany to Tunisia at Tunis airport – organised by the AEI group Sans Visa in Tunisia, (2) a transnational Nobordercamp in Nantes (France) in July, in which Afrique-Europe-Interact participated with numerous people and (3) the acquisition of a motorised push plough for the ecological artists' village Faso Kele in Guinea.

***************************************************

10 Outlook: Commemoraction: Commemorative event and events on the book “Brennpunkt Westafrika. The Causes of Flight and What Europe Should Do”.

Some outlooks have already been given (e.g. Alarmphone Sahara events in September and taz supplement on Togo), further dates are:

a) Afrique-Europe-Interact has been a member of the transnational network Commemoraction for a long time, which remembers the dead on the flight and migration routes. Large commemorations are regularly held for this purpose, most recently in February 2022 (https://missingattheborders.org/en/news/2022/commemorazione-oltre-50-citta-nel-mondo-contro-il-regime-di-morte-nelle-frontiere-e-per-esigere-verita-giustizia-e-riparazione-per-le-vittime-della-migrazione-e-per-le-loro-famiglie-1). This year, a second larger action is planned, in which several members of our network will also be involved – we will report in detail about it afterwards (also about place and time).

c) Our comrade Olaf Bernau will be organising several events in the coming weeks on his book “Brennpunkt Westafrika. The Causes of Flight and What Europe Should Do” (https://www.chbeck.de/bernau-brennpunkt-westafrika/product/33245328). The next two dates are in Augsburg and Meißen:

Augsburg: Annahof 4, Tuesday, 30.08.2022, 7 p.m.
Meißen: Am Markt 10, Wednesday, 31.08.2022, 7:30 p.m.

***************************************************

11. messages from other groups and networks

At our various events we often meet groups and individuals who are active in similar fields as we are. And this often raises the question of whether we could not report on these “other” activities via our newsletter and social media as well. On the one hand, we are very happy to do so (just as we are happy when our concerns are passed on), but on the other hand, this is always a question of space. Regardless of this, from now on we would like to include in every newsletter also notes from other actors, in this case from a group in Stuttgart that is associated with the following activities:

+++ with the non-profit company Taniko, which operates fair trade in handicrafts, delicatessen and spices between Madagascar and Germany and in this respect has interfaces with what we still want to achieve with the feminist women's project Musow Lafia (see above):

https://www.taniko-madagaskar.de/

+++ with the association “Leuchte Madagaskar”, which organises help for self-help on different levels:

https://www.leuchte-madagaskar.de/ [2]

+++ with the book “I wanted to live like the gods. What became of my African dreams in Germany. My long way out of slavery”, in which the former contract worker Ibraimo Alberto from Mozambique reports on his experiences in Germany:

https://www.kiwi-verlag.de/buch/ibraimo-alberto-ich-wollte-leben-wie-die-goetter-9783462046243