African civil society condemns hunt for migrants on the continent

The death of the malian migrant Mody Boubou Coulibaly on Monday, May 9, 2016 at the National Hospital of Nouakchott has deeply affected all actors of African civil society. The West African Observatory on Migrations (WAOM), together with MADE Africa, The Pan African Network for the Defense of Migrants' Rights (PANiDMR) and the Moroccan Transnational Network on Migration and Development (RMTMD) issued a joint statement condemning the chase on irregular migrants going on in Mauritania and other African states. The undersigners state African dependence on European financial aid to fight against migration "transforms the African political authorities in real persecutors of their brothers and sisters who are looking for work to live and feed their families." They call for the African Union commission, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and all African heads of state to "listen to the voice of their people and engage resolutely in a real regional integration process."

Read the full statement in English and French