Bodies of 27 Migrants Found in Chad Desert

The International Organization for Migration announced Tuesday that 27 migrants, including four children, had been found dead in the Chadian desert and expressed its "horror and sadness" at the discovery.

The migrants fled Moussoro, a town in west-central Chad, in a pick-up truck over a year and a half ago. According to the migration group, they are thought to have gotten lost in the middle of the desert when the truck broke down and they died of thirst.

"We are deeply saddened by this most recent tragedy and extend our heartfelt condolences to the migrants' families," said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, the organization's head of mission in Chad. "We need stronger collective action to prevent further deaths."

According to the organisation, 110 migrant deaths, including these most recent ones, have been reported in Chad during the last eight years while attempting to traverse the Sahara Desert. However, because many deaths go unreported, it is believed that the real numbers are higher. It stated that this year, approximately 150 migrants have perished in that desert.

For many years, individuals have used Chad as a transit point on their way to Libya and other North African nations, from whence they will attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. Conflict analysts claim that since 2016, pressure from member states of the European Union to deter illegal immigration has compelled migrants to travel over perilous routes, which has resulted in numerous deaths.

"Those migrants come from South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, and other countries in the region that are willing to take the risks with the hope of reaching Northern Africa and eventually Europe," said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan-based organization.

"Sometimes they have to take riskier routes to avoid security forces and human traffickers and at times that risk could cost their lives," he said.