The Nigerien army has announced the rescue of nearly 50 migrants stranded in the Sahara Desert close to the border with Libya, in one of the latest operations along a key route to Europe.
According to the army’s latest operational bulletin on Sunday, a military patrol saved 44 people, including four women, who had been stranded for over 24 hours on the Madama–Dao route after the breakdown of their vehicle.
During a search of an area covering 20 kilometres, troops also located around 10 more migrants who had dispersed in search of water and food. Some of them were reportedly in a critical state of dehydration. The nationalities of the migrants, who were attempting to reach Libya, were not disclosed.
The rescued individuals received medical treatment and food before being transferred to the town of Madama, a remote outpost near the Libyan border.
The rescue highlights the dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the Sahara on their way to the Mediterranean coast. Thousands of people from West Africa transit through Niger each year in hopes of reaching Europe via Libya or Algeria. Many die from dehydration, especially when abandoned by traffickers.
Algeria has also deported large numbers of migrants. In 2024, the NGO Alarm Phone Sahara recorded 31,000 expulsions – the highest number on record – while Nigerien authorities reported 16,000 returns between January and June 2025.
In November 2023, Niger’s military government repealed a 2015 law that criminalised migrant smuggling, which had carried prison sentences of up to 30 years. Since then, according to NGOs, many migrants have moved more freely along traditional routes without fear of reprisals previously enforced under the law.
