The article investigates the role of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the global migration regime against the backdrop of the European Union (EU) border externalisation process in Niger. Over the last few years, UN agencies have been considered an essential component of the EU strategy to prevent irregular migrants from reaching Europe. Drawing on qualitative research and ethnographic fieldwork, combining empirical observation with critical analysis, we explore the ‘humanitarian–security nexus’ by focusing on the IOM's ‘humanitarian borderwork’ under the financial umbrella of the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (ETFA). While the results of purely securitarian measures in Niger may have been ‘disappointing’, the outsourcing of migration management through IOM balances the interests of the Nigerien government and the EU. By focusing on IOM humanitarian operations and assisted voluntary returns and reintegration (AVRR) programmes, the article shows the further expansion of European humanitarian borders into the heart of the Sahel, highlighting new interdiction practices, hidden forms of deportation, side effects and contestation from below.

本文以欧盟 (EU) 尼日尔边境外部化进程为背景，探讨了国际移民组织 (IOM) 在全球移民制度中的作用。在过去的几年里，联合国机构被认为是欧盟防止非正常移民进入欧洲战略的重要组成部分。我们利用定性研究和民族志实地考察，将实证观察与批判性分析相结合，重点关注国际移民组织在非洲紧急信托基金 (ETFA) 金融保护伞下的“人道主义边境工作”，探讨“人道主义与安全之间的关系”。虽然尼日尔纯粹的安全措施的结果可能“令人失望”，但通过国际移民组织外包移民管理平衡了尼日尔政府和欧盟的利益。通过重点关注国际移民组织的人道主义行动和协助自愿回返和重返社会（AVRR）计划，本文展示了欧洲人道主义边界进一步扩展到萨赫勒地区的中心地带，强调了新的拦截做法、隐藏的驱逐形式、副作用和自下而上的争论。