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Rabat – Thousands of migrants that were deported from Algeria have been reportedly abandoned in the desert in the North of Niger in the town of Assamaka which is on the border with Algeria.
The non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and a chorus of other NGOs have requested the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protect the stranded migrants immediately.
Reports claim that 4,675 migrants have been arriving in the town from January 11-March 3. NGOs have reported that less than 15% of these migrants have been able to find shelter or protection upon their arrival in the Agadez region in Niger.
MSF cannot cope with the overwhelming influx of migrants, especially those requiring medical attention, stating the situation is “worrying.”
Coordinator of MSF Agadez, Schemssa Kimana, said: “The transit site is full and this has caused most of the recent arrivals to Assamaka to settle there.”
With the situation worsening, the migrants are left with no choice but to create make-shift beds and sleep in hallways or even the entrance of courtyards. The temperature in the area is rising, reaching as much as 48 degrees Celsius.
The Niger coordinator of MSF Jamal Mrrouch named the situation as “unprecedented,” he stressed there is an urgent need for humanitarian aid.
“As a medical organization it is our duty to highlight the flagrant lack of assistance to migrants men, women, boys, and girls, who have been left abandoned to their fate in the desert,” Mrrouch said.
One migrant from Cameroon called the town “an open-air jail,” he said in desperation, adding: “we don’t know when we will leave Assamaka.”
The details about the migrant’s deportation from Algeria have not been released, however, and NGOs have long denounced the treatment of migrants in both Algeria and Niger.
Niger has had thorough investigations into the treatment of migrants as the country is located on a major migration path. There have been claims of human trafficking and mistreatment, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) reported.
A similar incident happened in 2018 when thousands of migrants were deported to Niger from Algeria, Human Rights Watch reported. According to the NGO, many people were left in inhumane conditions without any consideration that the migrants were within their rights to reside in Algeria.
Algeria has also been heavily criticized for its treatment of people in the Tindouf camps, where many people are left without basic supplies.
