At least 600 migrants saved from Niger in three months

AFRICA

Friday 30 June 2017 - 10:44am






NIAMEY, Niger - Some 600 West African migrants heading for Europe were saved from the Niger desert since April after being abandoned by smugglers, the International Organisation for Migration (IMO) said on Thursday.

The announcement came after the presumed deaths of dozens in the same area last week alone, and hundreds more fatalities off the coast of Libya.

"IOM's search and rescue operation saved 600 migrants stranded in the Sahara desert since April," the group said on its website.

The last part of the operation saw 24 migrants lifted last week and transferred to an IOM transit centre, but almost three times as many were presumed dead.

One of those who had been rescued died later.

The UN-based agency said the survivors had been in a group of 75 migrants in three different vehicles which were abandoned by the smugglers as they headed north of Agadez in Niger for Libya.

"The authorities went back to where they had found the survivors to look for the other 51 who had been in the group, but they could not be found due to a sand storm," the IOM said.

"The migrants were presumed dead and search missions resumed once the sand storm ended - the bodies have yet to be found."

African migrants often travelled through the desert, hoping to reach Libya and cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

However, the journey was a dangerous one as the migrants were crammed into pick-up trucks and had few supplies.

Niger, along with its neighbours, was fighting an insurgency against Boko Haram.

At least 600 migrants saved from Niger in three months - eNCA