A Nigerien human rights organisation, Alarm Phone Sahara, reported that at least 783 migrants – most of them Nigerien nationals, including women and minors – were deported from Libya and returned to remote desert towns in northern Niger between 28 March and 25 April. The deportees remain stranded, as Niger’s authorities refuse to allow them entry.
The organisation revealed that the migrants had mostly been held in Libyan detention centres before being forcibly expelled. They were left in isolated towns such as Madama, Lataye, and Seguedine, all located in the desert region of Kawar, where access to humanitarian aid is limited.
Alarm Phone Sahara confirmed one fatality among the 407 migrants in the latest convoy arriving in Madama on 25 April. This group included 10 Burkinabè and 7 Nigerians. The organisation also expressed deep concern over migrants reportedly stranded in the desert after their vehicle broke down, exposed to extreme weather without adequate resources.
According to the group, Libyan security forces are pushing migrants southwards from areas under the control of the eastern-based General Command. Migrants are reportedly rounded up during public raids, placed on trucks, and either deported directly to southern Libya or detained before forced transfer to Niger.
Testimonies gathered by the group describe strict controls along the Libya-Niger border, with Niger opposing the entry of non-Nigerien deportees and threatening to return them to Libya.
The deportations sparked strong condemnation from Niger’s Interior Minister Mohamed Toumba during an April meeting with an International Organization for Migration (IOM) delegation. Toumba labelled the expulsions “unacceptable” and said they violated international cooperation norms.
Since the July 2023 coup, Niger’s junta repealed anti-human trafficking law 036/2015, prompting increased irregular migration flows to Libya and Algeria. The EU suspended its migration cooperation with Niger after the coup.
