Cotonou, May 17, 2025 

We, the Network of African Leaders for Democracy, Emergence and Renewal (Réseau-LEADER), issue a continental call to action from Cotonou on the occasion of the awareness workshop themed “African Youth and Migration: Between Hopes and New Forms of Risk.” What we have heard, analyzed, and documented here is neither exceptional nor anecdotal. It reveals a deeply entrenched system of manipulation, exploitation, and commodification of African youth—now orchestrated on an international scale.

Twisted Hope, Trapped Youth

Hundreds of young Africans, lured by promises of scholarships, training, or employment abroad, fall each year into schemes that mask modern forms of servitude. The emblematic case of “Alabuga Start,” brought to light by multiple investigations from Russian, African, and international media, is a chilling illustration.

Under the guise of technological training, young women from West and Central Africa are sent to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, to participate in assembling military drones intended for the war in Ukraine. These young women, often recruited through so-called “cooperation programs” or “technical scholarships,” find themselves confined in guarded dormitories, subjected to military-style discipline, and exposed to authoritarian supervision with no recourse. Deprived of their passports, isolated, they are indoctrinated into a war ideology in a context they do not understand, and in service of interests that are not their own.

Investigations by Meduza, The Moscow Times, BBC Afrique, and Radio Free Europe have uncovered the presence of young women from Niger, Cameroon, Mali, and Burkina Faso in these facilities. Propaganda videos released by Alabuga authorities show African women in uniform chanting military songs, trained to work on Lancet and ZALA drones, with no actual academic or career prospects.

But this is not an isolated case. In Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Kazakhstan, other young Africans, drawn by offers of “work-study,” “assistant positions,” or “corporate internships,” find themselves subjected to forced labor, sexual abuse, confiscation of identity documents, and even deprivation of liberty. These are no longer exceptions—they have become the hidden norm in a globalized system of human trafficking disguised as international cooperation.

Hidden Complicity, Guilty Silence

These practices flourish due to governance failures: lack of oversight, absence of thorough investigations, diplomatic silence, and in some cases, the complicity of consular officials. Recruitment agencies operate openly in several African capitals, despite repeated warnings. The “Alabuga Start” program—under Interpol investigation since 2024—demonstrates how seemingly legitimate organizations can become tools for the systemic exploitation of our youth.

Français À la lumière de cela, notre responsabilité collective est désormais pleinement engagée. Nous, soussignés, appelons solennellement et sans équivoque : 

Aux chefs d’État africains : 

• Briser le silence diplomatique. 
• Mettre fin aux accords opaques avec des agences de recrutement douteuses. 
• Lancer des audits nationaux des programmes de bourses internationales, en particulier ceux liés à la Russie et au Moyen-Orient. 
• Renforcer les services consulaires, les mécanismes d’aide juridique et les systèmes de soutien aux jeunes en mobilité. 

Aux médias africains : 

• Briser le mur du silence — traiter ces histoires comme des priorités nationales. 
• Donner la parole aux survivants et enquêter sur les réseaux qui se cachent derrière ces stratagèmes. 
• Former des réseaux d’enquête transnationaux pour démanteler les réseaux de trafiquants. 

Aux organisations de la société civile et aux voix influentes à travers le continent : 
• Intensifier les efforts d’éducation populaire et de sensibilisation communautaire. 
• Lancer des campagnes d’alerte ciblées, en particulier dans les écoles, les centres de formation, les églises et les mosquées. 
• Faire pression sur les gouvernements, les agences et les institutions complices ou passives. 

Nous réaffirmons fermement : il ne peut y avoir de véritable souveraineté africaine si sa jeunesse est livrée au marché mondial comme matière première humaine. Un continent qui laisse ses enfants partir sans orientation, sans protection ni vérité est un continent qui renonce à son avenir. 

Aujourd'hui, ici à Cotonou, nous affirmons que la lutte contre les migrations bloquées n'est pas une option humanitaire, mais un impératif politique, éthique et civilisationnel. 
Nous repartons d'ici plus conscients, plus indignés, mais surtout plus déterminés à agir. Car tant qu'un seul visa frauduleux conduit un jeune Africain à la servitude, notre humanité commune tremble. 

Ce combat est désormais le nôtre. Collectivement. Radicalement. Sans relâche.