The United Nations refugee agency is concerned for the safety of over 100 vulnerable Syrians, Yemenis and Palestinians who are reportedly stranded at Algeria’s southern border with Niger, UNHCR said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement said that UNHCR received information that the group was detained at the Tamanrasset Centre in southern Algeria before being taken to an area near the Guezzam border post on 26 December. The group comprises some 120 Palestinians, Syrian and Yemeni nationals, the statement said.
Twenty members of the group currently remain stranded in the desert, three kilometres from the Guezzam border post where they are exposed to the elements. The other 100 people in the group who were taken to the border are unaccounted for, according to the statement.
Some of the individuals in this group have registered with UNHCR as refugees who have fled conflict and persecution or claim to have attempted to seek international protection in Algeria, said the statement.
UNHCR is in contact with the Algerian authorities regarding this incident and advocating for access to assess their protection needs. The UN agency underlined that it had not been involved in any decision to move the group to the border.
"UNHCR is appealing to the Algerian authorities for access to those individuals, to address humanitarian needs and to identify those in need of international protection and to ensure their safety," the agency said.
Recognising the challenges faced by Algeria in responding to mixed movements, UNHCR maintains regular communication with the authorities to address the situation of refugees and asylum seekers, who can be subject to arrest and removal, the agency noted.
Algeria has opened its doors to some 50,000 Syrian refugees who have sought safety in the country UNHCR said, urging the country's authorities not to close its borders to other refugees in need of shelter.
