The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) opened its 59th regular session on June 16, running through July 9, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. During an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Gehad Madi, several participants denounced Algeria's mass expulsions of sub-Saharan migrants. A representative of the Network for Training, Research, and Action on African Migrations strongly condemned what she described as inhumane collective expulsions carried out by Algerian authorities. «Since 2024, many migrants, including women and children, have been abandoned in the Sahara Desert without water, food, or humanitarian aid. These practices are systematic and represent serious violations of international law and humanitarian conventions», she said. The Network also raised alarm over the growing number of mass disappearances of migrants and their exploitation by human trafficking networks, particularly in Libya, all unfolding in a climate of impunity. In light of what it called a catastrophic situation, the organization urged the countries concerned—including Algeria—to «strengthen regional cooperation to better protect migrants, establish effective mechanisms to search for and identify missing persons, and prioritize the protection of vulnerable groups, especially women and children». «Algeria is not only violating migrants' rights, it is also directly endangering thousands of lives», the Network added. In 2024, Algeria expelled more than 30,000 irregular migrants to Niger, up from 26,000 in 2023. These deportations have been condemned by the authorities in Niamey. Niger's Minister of the Interior, General Mohamed Toumba, expressed his outrage in April during a meeting with the director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), stating that the expulsions «violate the principles of good cooperation and international treaties. These actions are regrettable and unacceptable». According to the NGO Alarme Phone Sahara, more than 16,000 irregular migrants—including women and children—have been expelled from Algeria to Niger since April. Meanwhile, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on April 26 during a visit to Béchar that he was open to regularizing undocumented sub-Saharan migrants, «provided their entry into the country is regulated».
