AHMET TCHILOUTA Rhoumour, 2023, « De l’autre côté de la frontière » : souveraineté, gestion des frontières et évolution de la géopolitique du Niger face à l’externalisation des politiques migratoires de l’Europe dans la région saharo-sahélienne, thèse de doctorat de géographie, sous la direction de Anne-Laure Amilhat-Szary et de Harouna Mounkaila, Université Grenoble Alpes et Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, 568 p. Français. ⟨NNT : 2023GRALH025⟩. ⟨tel-04525210⟩
This Ph.D. dissertation critically re-examines the concept of the border in light of the complex geopolitical relationship between Niger and Europe since 2015. It posits the existence of a non-contiguous “thick” border, shaped by transnational interactions between the two entities rather than geogra...
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| פורמט: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| שפה: | Français |
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2025
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| גישה מקוונת: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| סיכום: | This Ph.D. dissertation critically re-examines the concept of the border in light of the complex geopolitical relationship between Niger and Europe since 2015. It posits the existence of a non-contiguous “thick” border, shaped by transnational interactions between the two entities rather than geographical proximity, and analyzes how this conceptualization challenges traditional notions of state sovereignty and territorial integrity. The research focuses on the interactions between the externalization of European migration management mechanisms on the Saharan-Sahelian borders and the socio-political dynamics generated by their internalization in Niger. To this end, it examines the diffusion of European norms, values, and funds and their influence on Niger’s national strategies for migration governance and border management, as well as the broader implications for the country’s sovereignty. From a diachronic perspective, the thesis contextualizes the recent developments observed in Niger’s migration management — from a laissez-faire approach to the criminalization of services to migrants — within a broader context of geopolitical and structural upheavals that have had a funneling effect on Niger’s trans-Saharan routes. These include security chaos in the Sahara-Sahelian region, restrictive policies on Europe’s southern borders, and European responses to the 2015 “refugee crisis”. The Valletta Summit played a key role in this, consolidating Niger’s role as a key partner in the EU’s border externalization strategy, as evidenced by the substantial funding provided through the EU’s Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF). Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis draws on traditional social science analytical tools as well as on Social Network Analysis (SNA) and spatial analysis to examine the resulting socio-political and geopolitical dynamics. It shows how this paradigm shift has produced an unprecedented and violent bordering of Niger’s territory as a result of the combination of European practices and norms with national socio-political strategies, generating complex dynamics of cooptation and resistance that redefine Niger’s sovereignty. The findings of this research thus highlight how the state hybridization resulting from this process challenges the dominant conceptualization that argues that foreign aid undermines the sovereignty of African states in favor of globalization and neoliberalism. By articulating the implications of bordering practices and the transformation of sovereignty, the thesis thus brings a nuanced perspective to the debates in political geography and Border Studies. It reveals the complexity with which external forces reshape internal policies, enabling Niger to capitalize on the rents related to development and migration to affirm its control and authority, and to reaffirm, in spite of the odds, its sovereignty in the face of the internationalization of migration governance. |
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