Niger to Receive 4,000 Migrants Deported from Algeria

The government of Niger has announced plans to receive around 4,000 migrants recently deported from neighboring Algeria, in a humanitarian effort that aims to facilitate their eventual return to their home countries.

According to official sources, Algeria has been routinely deporting irregular migrants from Niger and other African nations since 2014. The North African country is a major transit point for those seeking to reach Europe through the Mediterranean route.

General Ibra Boulama, the governor of Niger's Agadez region which borders Algeria, stated on national television that April witnessed an unprecedented surge in forced deportations. 

He reported that more than 6,000 migrants were expelled from Algeria in that month alone, with all of them arriving in the remote border town of Assamaka.

Boulama added that 7,222 migrants were deported during the first quarter of 2025, attributing the increasing strain on local infrastructure to Algeria’s intensified pressure. He criticised the resulting overcrowding in shelters run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

To prevent a humanitarian crisis, the governor announced that Niger would accelerate IOM’s voluntary return program through July. The initiative will help relocate over 4,000 migrants to their countries of origin.

The non-governmental organisation Alarme Phone Sahara estimates that Algeria deported over 31,000 migrants to Niger in 2024 alone, placing additional stress on the country's limited resources and humanitarian capacity.