Algeria Expells Migrants Into Niger

A recent Human Rights Watch report reveals that Algeria has been expelling thousands of migrants into its landlocked neighbor to the Southeast: Niger. HRW says some 3,400 migrants have been expelled since September and over 16,000 in 2020 so far. Most of the affected migrants hail from sub-Saharan Africa.

HRW reports: “Security personnel have separated children from their families during mass arrests, stripped migrants and asylum seekers of their belongings, and failed to allow them to challenge their removal or screen them for refugee status.”

The agency’s conclusion? “While every country is entitled to regulate the entry of foreigners, Algeria’s treatment of migrants violates its obligations as a party to the Migrant Workers Convention, which prohibits collective expulsions and requires examination of each case individually.” Moreover, “As a party to the UN and African Refugee Conventions and the Convention Against Torture, Algeria is also bound by the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forced return of anyone to countries where they could face torture or threats to their lives or freedom.”

-KitJ