Algeria has expelled more than 16,000 irregular African migrants to Niger since April, surpassing half of last year’s total deportations, according to official sources cited by AFP on Wednesday.
The mass pushbacks, part of a long-standing policy by Algiers targeting migrants using Algeria as a transit route to Europe, have sparked alarm among humanitarian organizations. On June 1 and 2 alone, 1,466 migrants arrived in the Nigerien border town of Assamaka, near Arlit in northern Niger.
Authorities confirmed that the first group included 688 people from at least a dozen West African nations, including 239 Nigeriens. The second group, which arrived on Monday, comprised 778 Nigeriens—222 of them minors—transported in 13 trucks and a van.
In May, Algeria expelled 8,086 migrants, including 5,287 Nigeriens and 2,799 citizens of other African countries. April saw 6,737 removals, bringing the total number of expulsions so far in 2024 to over 31,000.
Alarm Phone Sahara, a local NGO, has condemned the expulsions, alleging that many migrants are subjected to “brutal conditions” during the deportation process. The group has called for an immediate end to mass round-ups and the violation of migrant rights.
Nigerien authorities, overwhelmed by the influx, warned in mid-May that the expulsions risk triggering a humanitarian crisis. Interior Minister General Mohamed Toumba stated that the return of large numbers of migrants was destabilizing the country’s fragile security balance.
In response, Niger announced plans to repatriate 4,000 migrants to their home countries by July, in coordination with the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The situation has become more complex since Niger’s ruling junta repealed a 2015 law criminalizing migrant trafficking last November, raising concerns over the country’s ability to manage the mounting migrant flows.
Written By Rodney Mbua
