The Christian Science Monitor

In Niger, a reporter seeks a refund and finds astonishing generosity

Monitor correspondent Peter Ford speaks to a man in Agadez, Niger, a town on the edge of the Sahara that has long been a hub of people smuggling. Niger has become a security focus for both the US and Europe in their bid to stem migration flows and also combat militants in West Africa.

It could have been an infuriating experience. And then, suddenly, a Nigerien sales clerk transformed the moment into something entirely different.

It all began in Agadez, the remote mud-walled town in Niger that serves as the southern gateway to the Sahara desert. I had been reporting there for several days with my colleague, Scott Peterson, and

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