Algeria has expelled 4,975 African migrants to Niger since early April. More than half of those migrants are Nigeriens. Niger's state television warns of a potential humanitarian catastrophe.
From April 1st to 21st, 2025, 2,753 Nigeriens, including 308 minors and 196 women, were expelled from Algeria. This information was reported by Télé Sahel, citing security officials in Assamaka, a Nigerien town bordering Algeria. The Nigerien migrants arrived in what were termed "official convoys".
During the same period, 2,222 migrants arrived in Assamaka on foot. Among them were 146 Nigeriens and 2,076 individuals of other nationalities. These migrants, mostly non-Nigerien Africans, were left at "point zero".
"Point zero" is a desert area marking the border between the two countries. Migrants must walk 15 km to reach Assamaka under extreme climatic conditions. Télé Sahel broadcasted images of exhausted migrants arriving in Assamaka, some with injuries allegedly inflicted by Algerian security forces.
Niger's Minister of Interior, General Mohamed Toumba, stated that the influx of expelled migrants from Algeria disrupts Niger's security balance. He requested the IOM and UNHCR to repatriate the migrants to their countries. In 2024, over 31,000 migrants were expelled from Algeria to Niger, according to the NGO Alarme Phone Sahara.