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.

In light of this, our collective responsibility is now fully engaged. We, the undersigned, solemnly and unequivocally call:

To African Heads of State:

* Break the diplomatic silence.
* End opaque agreements with questionable recruitment agencies.
* Launch national audits of international scholarship programs, particularly those linked to Russia and the Middle East.
* Strengthen consular services, legal aid mechanisms, and support systems for youth in mobility.

To African Media Outlets:

* Break the wall of silence—treat these stories as national priorities.
* Give survivors a voice and investigate the networks behind these schemes.
* Form transnational investigative networks to dismantle trafficking rings.

To Civil Society Organizations and Influential Voices Across the Continent:
* Intensify grassroots education and community awareness efforts.
* Launch targeted alert campaigns, especially in schools, training centers, churches, and mosques.
* Pressure governments, agencies, and institutions that are complicit or passive.

We firmly reaffirm: there can be no true African sovereignty if its youth is delivered to the global market as human raw material. A continent that allows its children to leave without guidance, protection, or truth is a continent that abdicates its future.

Today, here in Cotonou, we declare that the fight against trapped migration is not a humanitarian option—it is a political, ethical, and civilizational imperative.
We leave here more aware, more outraged, but above all, more determined to act. Because as long as a single fraudulent visa leads an African youth into servitude, our shared humanity trembles.

This fight is now ours. Collectively. Radically. Relentlessly.