IN PHOTO: Road to nowhere

This, which looks like (and actually is) pure desert, is also a road. The thing is that sand is also an immense force of nature. Tarmac was not enough. The expenses on road maintenance were so high that authorities just disregarded their obligations. To make things worse, the area dangerous.

The road is located in Niger. The area covers 450 km and join the districts of Agadez and Assamakka, in northern Niger. But we would hardly see the lines on a satellite map as nearly all this area has been swallowed up by the dessert.

This is the Ténéré, in the south-central Sahara. It's 48 Celsius degrees in the summer. Tourists used to go on tour in this area, now there are only remains of abandoned vehicles and rusty barrels. And sand. A lot of sand.

But still, many migrants venture through these places, following the route the best they can in the middle of nowhere. It may seem like a road to nowhere, but it is actually a path to hope. Hard reality.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff