The Diffa region is located in the far east of Niger and occupies 12.4% of the country’s total land area where agriculture, livestock, and fishing remain the main activities of the people living there. As of February 2015, the region hosted more than 24,000 uprooted people, including Nigerien refugees, internally displaced persons in Niger, and Nigerien returnees who were previously living in Nigeria (UNHCR, 2021). The settlement of refugees not only has impacts on the environment but also on economic and social activities. This paper aims to analyze the environmental and socio-economic impacts of refugee activities in and around the camps (Diffa urban commune, Boudouri, Maina Kaderi, and Sayam forage). In order to analyze the impacts (identification, mapping, and observation of impacts in the field), three (3) approaches are used in this work. Surveys, field observations, and GIS and remote sensing analysis. The results show that refugee activities can have impacts on the environment but over the long term (10 to 15 years). Some effects related to soil degradation, destruction of vegetation, and pollution of water resources (quantity and quality) are observed in and around the sites in only 3 years of presence (GIS, remote sensing and field observation). At all sites, a decrease in fallow land, an increase in bare soil, and an increase in human settlements have been observed, signs that can have consequences on the environment. The accumulation of household waste that prevents the proper infiltration of rainwater into the soil and whose runoff carries away essential elements. As for mitigation measures, a strict application of laws and regulations on environmental protection is required.

This paper deals with land transactions on the border rural area of Dan Barto. Under the influence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Kano, Mai Adua and Daoura), the rural area of Dan Barto knows a great pressure on land. This high demand has led farmers to fragment them and selling them. Through a methodological approach focused primarily on quantitative and qualitative surveys, data were collected to analyze the situation. The results reveal that the land, considered in the past as an inalienable heritage of the family, is today the subject of many speculations. Indeed, Nigerian traders buy expensive small plots to build commercial buildings (shops, gas stations, parking lots, houses) and department stores to save their goods. This contributes to the vulnerability of populations already subject to a scarcity increases, with the consequent emergence in recent years of landless peasants. To reverse this situation the local authorities should raise awareness about the long-term danger of selling land for present and future generations. Then, to sustainably secure the peasant supporters are more than necessary for the garden and income-generating activities. Finally, the state must rethink its policy of border areas by making them more viable.