Expulsions from Algeria to Niger: a postcolonial approach to IOM-assisted "voluntary" returns

Abstract

The expulsion of migrants, mainly black Africans, from Algeria to the border with Niger has increased in recent years, since 2014 and especially since 2017. In this context, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assists vulnerable migrants and incorporates them into its"assisted voluntary return" program. However, in line with the results of our fieldwork, several scholars and social organizations question the "voluntary" character of these returns and the interests behind these repatriations. In this article, we examine the power relations at play between the IOM, the European Union (EU) and returned migrants and, through a critical approach framed in postcolonialism, analyse the role of the IOM as an actor at the service of the EU's border externalisation efforts.