Algeria has launched a mass deportation exercise involving thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants to neighbouring Niger.
The operation began over the weekend with the arrival of a convoy of 60 buses in Assamaka, a remote desert town in northern Niger.
According to Zagazola Makama a counterterrorism expert on the Lake Chad, the buses, escorted by Algerian security forces, transported migrants of various African nationalities who had been living in Algeria.
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Nigerien officials in Assamaka confirmed the arrivals, describing the operation as one of the largest migrant returns seen in recent years.
“This is just the beginning. We are preparing to receive thousands more in the coming days”, said a local official who requested anonymity.
According to Makama, authorities expect up to 400 buses in the coming hours, pointing to a sustained and large-scale repatriation effort.
The report noted that the mass deportation comes amid heightened tensions between Algeria and member states of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which includes Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Niger’s recent show of solidarity with Mali is believed by some observers to have contributed to Algeria’s renewed crackdown on migrants.
Humanitarian organisations have raised alarms over the unfolding situation, citing limited infrastructure and harsh desert conditions in Assamaka, which is ill-equipped to handle such a sudden influx.
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“This situation requires urgent international attention,” said a representative of a non-governmental organisation assisting arrivals at the border.
Algeria has previously faced criticism from human rights groups for similar expulsions, often accused of forcibly returning migrants without proper coordination or concern for their welfare.
As of Sunday, the Nigerien government had yet to issue an official statement on the latest development.
