Shock in Niger after the unceasing influx of thousands of migrants from Algeria
The act of deporting migrants by the Algerian executive is becoming a common practice by Abdelmadjid Tebboune's government since cases increased exponentially in June 2017. So far this year, Algerian authorities have extradited more than 13,000 migrants on the borders with Niger alone, including children and pregnant women, who are being held in the Sahara desert in squalid conditions, without food and water. In June 2022, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) estimated that more than 14,000 people had met the same fate since the beginning of the year 15km from Assamaka, and 27,208 in 2021.
"Thousands of migrants expelled from Algeria and abandoned in the desert (north) of Niger are stranded, without access to shelter, medical care, protection and basic necessities," the NGO attested in a press release. It is "an unprecedented situation" according to the NGO. Of the total number of migrants expelled by Algiers, only 15% have been able to benefit from protection and shelter aid. The Nigerian government is not at all surprised by this situation, which is why, in collaboration with humanitarian associations, it created the Assamaka humanitarian complex, which is currently at the limit of its capacity following this new wave of immigrants from North Africa.
The Integrated Health Centre (IHC) in Assamaka, where MSF "distributes non-food items" and offers "free health consultations", is "overwhelmed". MSF says most of them went on foot, and specifically from 11 January to 3 March the flow of migrants arriving in these conditions has been at an all-time high. "The situation is worrying," says Schemssa Kimana, MSF's field coordinator in Agadez. She adds that migrants are at great risk of serious health problems due to the extreme temperatures and lack of adequate shelter. According to a New Humanitarian report, Algeria has become a transit country for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. "People are sleeping in every corner of the establishment".
"Some have set up makeshift tents at the entrance or in the courtyard. Others are camped in front of the maternity ward, on the roof or in the waste area," the IHC concluded. Despite this, MSF and New Humanitarian say that the Algerian country lacks a clear legal framework to control migrants, which is causing impediments for migrants to standardise their situation in Algeria. The report noted that since 2017, the country began emptying itself of asylum seekers and refugees, especially from Central and West Africa, dumping them at its border with Niger, "many of them have been forced to walk distances of up to 30km (18 miles)" it said.
In Assamaka, where migrants have not known for weeks what will become of them, it is an arid region where temperatures reach 48°C, forcing people to seek shelter after many of them have travelled more than 30 kilometres (18 miles) on foot. The health organisation is calling on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to provide immediate protection for people stranded in extremely precarious conditions in Assamaka. "This situation is now an emergency, it is untenable for anyone to continue living in these conditions,".
In February, exactly 899 migrants were deported from Guinea, Benin, Mali, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and also Costa Rica. Those who have been detained are also said to suffer inhumane conditions in detention centres. This has been the subject of a strong reaction from humanitarian actors who have consistently criticised the Algerian authorities for completely ignoring basic human rights, including asylum rights. "It's like being in an open-air prison. For meals what we receive is very badly prepared because there is more sand than food. It makes us sick and gives us diarrhoea and stomach ache," said the migrant quoted by MSF.