In a tragic revelation, Alarm Phone Sahara, an organization dedicated to assisting migrants in the desert, reported that 11 migrants have died of thirst near the Niger border in the past two months. The migrants were expelled by Algerian authorities and left in the desolate “Zero Point” zone.
On May 12, a Malian man was found unconscious by the Alarm Phone Sahara team in the Sahara desert’s scorching heat, where temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius. Abandoned by Algerian authorities, he was rushed to Assamaka, a border town 15 kilometers away, but he succumbed to the extreme conditions.
Two days earlier, the bodies of seven migrants—three Malians, two Guineans, a Burkinabé, and an unidentified individual—were discovered in the same area. They had also died of thirst. On April 5, Alarm Phone Sahara found three decomposed bodies near “Point Zero,” likely victims of dehydration and exhaustion.
Since January 2024, around 10,000 migrants have been abandoned in the Sahara by Algerian authorities, according to Alarm Phone Sahara. These expulsions continue despite the severe risks. In 2023, 23,000 people were deported under similar circumstances.
Alarm Phone Sahara documents these cases and shares updates on X (formerly Twitter). On April 26, 2024, they reported 647 new arrivals in Assamaka; five days earlier, 262 migrants reached the town. The extreme heat in the Sahel region has exacerbated the already dire conditions for these migrants.
In addition to expulsions, there are reports of “domino” deportations, where sub-Saharan migrants are pushed from Tunisia to Libya and Algeria, and then to Niger. This cycle increases the migrants’ vulnerability, as many disappear in the Sahara, falling victim to dehydration, violence, or abandonment.
Alarm Phone Sahara and other organizations have called for an end to these inhumane practices. The UN migration agency’s Missing Migrants Project has documented over 2,000 deaths in the Sahara since 2014, but the actual number is believed to be much higher.
The intensification of these violent pushbacks has led to diplomatic tensions. On April 3rd 2024, Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Algerian ambassador to protest the brutal methods used by Algerian security forces. Nigerien officials urged Algeria to conduct deportations with respect for the migrants’ dignity and integrity.