United Nations reports on September 13th 2022 that 5o stranded Africans migrants amongst which Cameroonians have been rescued in the desert in northern Niger.

The international Organization for Migrants, IOM says migrants were ” vulnerable and in distress” and comprised 10 children, three women and 37 men. They add that they got stranded in the desert near the town of Dirkou after a rough journey. ” Most were returning from Libya. Some were on their way to Libya but no longer had the means to continue their journey, and asked for our help” IOM spokesperson Aissatou Sy said.

Dirkou is a crossroads for smuggling of migrants , weapons and drugs into Libya and on to Europe. The Guardian Post newspaper reports this morning that the migrant group, including 49 Nigerians and a Cameroonian national, was rescued last week and flown to the transit city of Agadez, where the International Organization for Migrants run a reception centre.

Recently, 8 Tunisian migrants were reported to have drowned and 12 others gone missing after their boat sank during a clandestine attempt to reach Italy, a security source had confirmed. According to the survivors, all from North African countries, had set out for the coastal region of Sfax.

Tunisia is a key departure point for migrants seeking to reach Italy just 130 KM away, often in vessels that are barely sea worthy. The EU’s frontex border agency says more than 42,500 migrants used the central MediterraneanT route between January and July.