Niger, Algeria clash on the number of migrants being deported to desert border

In the first quarter of 2024, Algeria deported over 17,000 migrants to the 'Point Zero' in the Sahara borders with Niger, according to reporting by The New Arab. It goes on to say “Niger wants to put an end to Algeria's "aggressive" policy of arresting, deporting and abandoning Sub-Saharan migrants on the Sahara borders.” In a Facebook post the Niger Foreign Ministry shared videos showing dozens of Nigeriens in Algeria getting loaded onto trucks towards the border or abandoned on foot in the desert, some with bandages. Algeria did not directly address the videos, but its foreign ministry put out a statement that said: "we confirm Algeria's commitment to the fundamental principles of good neighborliness and its willingness to continue coordinating with Niger on this migration-related issue."