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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Libya mass deports Nigeriens in 'dangerous, traumatizing' journey

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 10 Jan 2025 16:00
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

Forcibly deported migrants endure freezing winter temperatures, overcrowding in trucks, and frequent fights for space, often resulting in injuries.

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  • African migrants stand on the Libyan border with Tunisia on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2023. (AP)
    African migrants stand on the Libyan border with Tunisia on Thursday, August 4, 2023. (AP)

More than 600 Nigerien nationals were forcibly deported from Libya in one of the largest known expulsions from the country.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that 613 people arrived in Dirkou, Niger, after being transported across the Sahara in a convoy of trucks. The migrants had been rounded up over the past month by Libyan authorities.

Azizou Chehou from Alarm Phone Sahara (APS) highlighted this as the largest expulsion to date, surpassing a previous deportation of 400 people in July. The incident draws attention to the ongoing human rights abuses against migrants in Libya, which have been linked to European Union border policies, according to The Guardian. 

Chehou described the journey across the Sahara between Libya and Niger as "dangerous and traumatizing", noting that migrants endure freezing winter temperatures, overcrowding in trucks, and frequent fights for space, often resulting in injuries like broken limbs. Many arrive in Agadez in poor physical and emotional condition.

Critics accuse EU nations, particularly Italy, of outsourcing migration control to North African countries like Libya and Tunisia. Italy has reported a substantial drop in migrant arrivals, with 66,317 reaching its shores in 2024, compared to more than double the number in 2023. Activists such as David Yambio, spokesperson for the nonprofit organization Refugees in Libya, warn of the deadly consequences of these policies, with migrants often facing dire conditions in the desert.

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"Leaders like [Viktor] Orbán, [Giorgia] Meloni, or Trump applaud such efficient cruelty. It’s no accident; it’s the design. The EU pays to erase migrants, to make suffering invisible, and to wash its hands while others do its dirty work," Yambio said. 

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, highlighted that while rounding up and expelling foreign workers has been a longstanding practice in southern Libya, this recent incident stands out due to the unusually large number of people expelled at once.

The expulsions, carried out by local authorities in Sabha without official announcements or clear policies, reflect a pattern of hostility in the rhetoric of the Haftar-led Libyan National Army, often demonizing sub-Saharan African migrants, Harchaoui added. 

Libya has traditionally attracted workers from Niger, Mali, and Chad for jobs in agriculture, construction, and retail, as well as migrants seeking to travel to Europe. The UNHCR expressed readiness to assist the IOM in supporting those in need of international protection.

Read more: Libya fully reopens vital Ras Ijdir border crossing with Tunisia

  • Refugees
  • Libya
  • Africa
  • migrants
  • deportation
  • Niger

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