Algeria: Nearly 17,000 illegal migrants registered in 2015

This staggering figure was revealed by the Minister of the Interior and Local Assemblies Mr Noureddine Bedoui in a statement to media outlets in Algiers.

Most of these migrants are Syrians and sub-Saharan Africans who crossed into the national territory illegally to escape the war and / or deplorable economic and social conditions in their home countries.

These cross-border movements undertaken by the hapless migrants for their survival have reached alarming proportions, either regionally or internationally, because of the instability and insecurity prevailing in their own countries.

In a bid to face up to this enormous migratory flow of these 16,792 registered migrants, including 10,170 Nigerians and 5,588 Malians, and others hailing from West and Central Africa, the Algerian authorities have taken the necessary steps to ensure proper humanitarian support for this refugee population during its provisional stay in Algeria.