Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Resistance is a source of power for Lebanon that must be preserved.
Sheikh Qassem: "Israel" must implement the agreement as Lebanon has already done so, and any new accord would amount to absolving it and opening the door to further attacks.
Sheikh Qassem: We do not wish to assume anyone's role; those accusing us of this must cease their accusations.
Sheikh Qassem: We will recover our lands through national solidarity; Resistance's goal is national liberation, while enemy goal is occupation.
Sheikh Qassem: Protection of sovereignty protects Lebanon. It is in real danger because of US belligerence, greedy Israeli expansion.
Qassem to Lebanese people: We are not asking for support but for us not to be stabbed in the back in the back or for some to serve Israeli interests; government is primary party responsible for [preservation of] sovereignty.
Sheikh Qassem: "Israel" can occupy, but it cannot persist in occupation of our land.
Sheikh Qassem: Intimidation will not change our stance of resistance and steadfastness. We are not advocates of surrender or defeat, and we will never accept it.
Sheikh Qassem: Where does US stand regarding enemy's unjustified assassination of a government worker and other civilian martyrs?
Sheikh Qassem: Is the Lebanese Army's defense of its land and citizens an accusation [leveled against it]? Where does US stand regarding the enemy's killing of civilians and constant destruction?

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.

Listen
  • x
  • 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.

Related News

US slashes refugee admissions, but prioritizes white South Africans

Trump sets record-low refugee cap in new immigration policy shift

Read more: UN seeks help for Sudan refugees fleeing to Libya, Uganda

"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

Most Read

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
Sheikh Naim Qassem speaks during an interview with Al-Manar TV, October 26, 2025 (Screenshot)

Hezbollah ready to face 'Israel' in case of war: Sheikh Naim Qassem

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
The secret cloud deal: Google and Amazon “winking” pact with 'Israel'

With a 'wink', Israeli control over Google, Amazon cloud data exposed

  • Technology
  • 29 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
ap
Politics

Hamas calls on int’l community to act against Israeli settlement plan

In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP)
Economy

Ex-US diplomat says Trump-Xi deal 'tactical retreat', not lasting deal

An unarmed Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, during a test in 2002. (US Air Force)
Politics

JD Vance defends Trump's nuclear test plan as 'crucial for security'

Ultra-Orthodox Jews attend the "million man" protest against military conscription, in occupied al-Quds, October 30, 2025 (AFP)
Politics

Haredi mass rally in al-Quds exposes Zionist regime's growing crisis

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS