The Desert Town That’s Home to U.S. Drones and People Smugglers
Northern Nigerien city hosts U.S. air base deploying drones in the battle against jihadist fighters in West Africa
Photographer: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images
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Moctar raised his right hand above his head and from an almost impossible height poured hot tea into a glass as he recounted his latest trip to Libya transporting migrants seeking to make the hazardous Mediterranean crossing to Europe.
The 72-hour journey across the border from Niger to Libya was perilous, with the list of potential dangers including attacks by bandits and Islamist militants to the more mundane of crashing into sand dunes or simply running out of gas. Luckily he reached his destination.