A UN and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) report published on Thursday revealed that more than 9,000 migrants from a dozen African countries have arrived in northern Niger since January after being turned back by Algeria.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the IOM reported that “Since the beginning of the year, more than 9,000 migrants in distress who had been turned back at the border by Algeria have found themselves stranded in Assamaka”, a town in the desert region of Agadez, near Algeria.
According to the regional authorities in Agadez, 9,192 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, have arrived in Assamaka since the beginning of the year, causing “a critical humanitarian situation”.
In response to this critical situation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has provided medical supplies, including 2.9 tonnes of medicine kits. The World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered more than 180 tonnes of food, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has deployed “additional” human resources such as doctors, nurses, and psychologists, according to the OCHA.
According to the UN agency, 1,446 migrants benefited from return flights to their countries in May. Since 2014, Algeria has expelled tens of thousands of irregular migrants from West and Central Africa, according to the United Nations.