West and Central Africa — WCA Routes Through Sahel (June 2023)

The Sahel, within the West and Central Africa (WCA) region, is a stretch of land which spans from Mauritania to Chad, separating the Sahara desert on the North, from tropical coastal countries to the South. Other characterizations define the Sahel as the entire region on the African continent from the Atlantic Ocean on the West to the Red Sea on the East, separating the desert from the savanna. Either way, migratory routes within the WCA region inevitably cross the Sahel, and migrants, in search of better opportunities the region has to offer, are facing multiple risks along their journeys on these routes.

This report compiles information from different data and research activities held within the region in the objective to highlight the diverse dynamics, profiles and risks migrants are facing while travelling on the WCA routes through the Sahel.

This dashboard covers the period until June 2023 and is based on information from (1) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) data on mobility trends and population flows; (2) Missing Migrants Project (MMP) data on arrivals to Europe and the Canary Islands, migrant deaths and disappearances; (3) Data on migrants seeking Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) to and within the WCA region; (4) Expulsions of migrants from other regions to WCA, especially from Algeria and Libya; (5) Transhumance Tracking Tool (TTT) data on the mobility of transhumant populations throughout the Sahel; and (6) Solutions and Mobility Index (SMI) indicators of stability within the Sahelian region.