Assamakka
Encyclopedia
Assamakka is small desert town in northern Niger
at a main border crossing with Algeria
. It is the only official crossing point between the two nations. Assamakka shares the border with the larger town of In Guezzam
10 km on the Algerian side. A main road extends north in Algeria to Tamanrasset, 400 km away. Assamakka is connected to the town of Arlit
, 200 km to the south by a road which remains in largely a sand "Piste
". From Arlit, the "Uranium Highway", a tarred road built in the 1970s for mining trucks, travels south to Agadez
and Niamey
.
desert: the rocky plains of the Toussasset region begin just to the east, and are punctuated by Ergs, or "dune seas". To the south the Azawagh region is characterized by dry plains and ancient dry river valleys arcing to the southwest from the Air Mountains
.
The area is dominated by Tuareg tribal populations, as well as nomad
ic minorities, including Hassaniyya-speaking Moors
(also called Azawagh Arabs, not to be confused with Niger's Diffa Arabs
) in the northwest border regions of Niger. The Azawagh area is the centre for the Iwellemeden Kel Denneg federation.
The town itself has grown as a transit point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to the Maghreb
. Trucks from the south drop off migrants here, who must then arrange trips over the border. Consequently the small population is ethnically diverse and fluctuates. Illegal migrants deported south from Algeria are also returned here, sometimes in large numbers.
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
at a main border crossing with Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. It is the only official crossing point between the two nations. Assamakka shares the border with the larger town of In Guezzam
In Guezzam
In Guezzam is a town in Algeria on the border with Niger in the Tamanrasset Province. It is coextensive with In Guezzam district. There is an airport there, which is, however, closed for public usage....
10 km on the Algerian side. A main road extends north in Algeria to Tamanrasset, 400 km away. Assamakka is connected to the town of Arlit
Arlit
Arlit is an industrial town and capital of the Arlit Department of the Agadez Region of northern-central Niger, built between the Sahara desert and the eastern edge of the Aïr mountains. It is 200 km south by road from the border with Algeria...
, 200 km to the south by a road which remains in largely a sand "Piste
Piste
A piste is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. The term is European, from the French for trail or track, synonymous with trail, slope, or groomed run in North America....
". From Arlit, the "Uranium Highway", a tarred road built in the 1970s for mining trucks, travels south to Agadez
Agadez
-Sources:* Aboubacar Adamou. "Agadez et sa région. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens", Études nigériennes, n°44, , 358 p.* Julien Brachet. Migrations transsahariennes. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé . Paris: Le Croquant, , 324 p. ISBN : 978-2-91496865-2.*. Saudi Aaramco...
and Niamey
Niamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
.
Border regulation
While the military on either side of the border have frequently closed this border post to traffic due to Tuareg insurgencies of the 1990s and 2000s, the border area in this region has no effective controls or even marking.Geography
The area around Assamakka is flat SaharanSaharan
The term Saharan is used in the English language to denote someone or something from the Sahara desert, including:* Sahrawi , referring to the people of the Western Sahara* Saharan languages, a subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
desert: the rocky plains of the Toussasset region begin just to the east, and are punctuated by Ergs, or "dune seas". To the south the Azawagh region is characterized by dry plains and ancient dry river valleys arcing to the southwest from the Air Mountains
Aïr Mountains
The Aïr Mountains is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara desert...
.
Population
The town itself has long been a Tuareg encampment at a strategic desert well. What small population which is found here are nomadic or semi nomadic Tuareg, many of whom engage in cross border trade with Tuareg communities to the north and south, or pass through this area around the brief rainy season of the Azawagh plains to the far southwest.The area is dominated by Tuareg tribal populations, as well as nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic minorities, including Hassaniyya-speaking Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
(also called Azawagh Arabs, not to be confused with Niger's Diffa Arabs
Diffa Arabs
Diffa Arabs is the Nigerien name given to Arab nomadic tribespeople living in eastern Niger, mostly in the Diffa Region...
) in the northwest border regions of Niger. The Azawagh area is the centre for the Iwellemeden Kel Denneg federation.
The town itself has grown as a transit point for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
. Trucks from the south drop off migrants here, who must then arrange trips over the border. Consequently the small population is ethnically diverse and fluctuates. Illegal migrants deported south from Algeria are also returned here, sometimes in large numbers.