Settlement, endemic violence and wild space remanence in West Africa. "W" of Niger no man's land [Peuplement, violence endémique et rémanence de l'espace sauvage en Afrique de l'Ouest. Le no man's land du " W " du Niger]

The existence of no man's lands created and maintained by endemic violence is one of the characteristics of West African settlements. The case studied here is that of the region defined by the Tapoa, Alibori and Niger rivers, which was brought under the protection of the colonial authorities and named Park "W" of Niger between 1926 and 1954. It is necessary to understand the status of these areas in order to better manage the periphery of the Park and this has led us to analyse certain aspects of the geopolitics of the eastern Niger bend area and their effects on the settlement of the land (Songhai, Borgou, Gurma, Zerma and Fulani areas). The cartography proposed illustrates the relationship between violence, depopulation and the renaissance of the wilderness. (Author's abstract)