CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE 375. In contrast, there is an increasing number of cases of refugees from subSaharan Africa, the majority of whom use Algeria as a transit area to Europe. In the greater south, in Tamanrasset, the problem of clandestine emigration is acute. Stakeholders in Tamanrasset emphasised that clandestine refugees caused many problems in their region, such as delinquency, prostitution and drugs. However, the same stakeholders also acknowledged that these people who come from the neighbouring countries of Mali and Niger are a source not of problems alone, but also of qualified manpower, particularly in the crafts sectors. 376. The situation of clandestine immigrants in Tamanrasset is largely attributable the problems experienced by the state in controlling the borders along the southern section of the country, in particular the desert. It was also pointed out that an appropriate judicial and institutional framework for dealing with the refugee question no longer exists. Legal texts in this domain are invalid and do not cover current diverse categories of immigrants, such as economic refugees. Considering the economic growth that Algeria has experienced over the past years and its future prospects for growth, the flow of migrations to Algeria will probably increase in the years to come. 377. The challenge facing the Algerian government is to develop, as a matter of priority, a judicial and institutional framework for regulating the problems of refugees and others without legal papers. The review and adaptation of the law on refugees form part of the recommendations made by the stakeholders concerned in Tamanrasset. According to inhabitants of the South, regulation of the situation would be in everyone‟s best interests. Immigrants would henceforth acquire status and the local population would be protected from the adverse situation of these irregular inhabitants and benefit from their manpower, which they need. 378. Nomads. Subsequent to its visit to Tamanrasset and its discussion with certain stakeholders responsible for the Ahaggar National Park, the CRM considers the nomads a vulnerable population category. The persons interviewed raised the issue that nomadism is a particular mode of living adapted to the Saharan reality and not an old-fashioned way of life, and considered the policy relating to the settlement of nomads a mistake. For the security of the territory, but also and particularly for the rich natural and cultural heritage of Ahaggar (material and immaterial), Algeria must support the nomadic way of life by providing nomads with the necessary means (employment, health, education, transport, etc.) to continue to lead their lives successfully. 379. On the issue of the traditional know-how of the Tuaregs, stakeholders made the point that if today the youthful population is benefiting from the right to schooling, education and work, the elderly – known as the “illiterate” sector of the population – is disadvantaged. Their arguments pertain to the quality of the Tuareg guides and their knowledge of the territory, which according to these parties, rival even the most sophisticated geographical information systems. Their knowledge of biological diversity and rational use of natural resources 124