Ousmane Samassekou

Unemployed youths, many looking to leave the country for want of better options, are swelling the ranks of gangs that sow violence in Zinder, in Niger. Aïcha Macky explores the origins of the radicalization that is spreading through her hometown and the prospects for escaping it.

Deep in Mali, on the edge of the Sahel Desert, lies the peaceful city of Gao—a quiet way station for passersby with their eyes set on Europe in hopes of opportunity, safety and a better future.