Madama, Niger
There was a time when the Marlborough route from Libya to Niger was a modestly popular Saharan crossing discussed on this forum. We haven't heard much about the piste for years. Following the NATO fiasco in Libya, that route now seems to be one of the key infiltration points of arms from Libya to Nigeria and Mali. Here is a report from Thomas Fessy who has spent a lot of time recently in the Sahara.
BBC News - France - the Saharan policeman
The French have set up military posts in northern Niger, including at Madama ( 21 56 53 N, 13 38 47 E) which was once the check-in point for overlanders in Niger when arriving from Libya.
The arms smugglers apparently drop into Northern Niger from Libya and then hug the Niger/Algerian border on their way to Mali, presumably so that they can cross over to one side or another if met with resistance. The cross-border tactic has long been used in the Sahara and has since been adopted in Nigeria/Cameroon.
Last edited by Chris Scott; 19 Mar 2015 at 19:21.
Reason: corrected wpt, added link
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