Drivers left four trucks of migrants from Nigeria, Togo, Mali and Ghana about 230 kilometers north of the Nigerian town of Dirkou, located at one of the Sahara intersections, without any food or water supplies when they spotted army vehicles.
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A group of migrants, including children, was found by the IOM rescue team on September 3, three days later. Many people in the group were dehydrated, injured, and needed immediate medical attention.
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IOM spokesman Paul Dillon told Reuters that similar behavior in smugglers was no exception. Traffickers usually have migrants paid in advance and then leave if they are concerned about being caught. “Smugglers sometimes return on their own without their clients, it’s not that rare. They know what happens when they leave people to their fate in the desert. This disrespect for human life is very worrying, “said Dillon.
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Since 2016, the IOM has been involved in rescuing more than 20,000 migrants from the Sahara Desert, one of the most dangerous stages on the path taken by migrants from West Africa. Those in the desert risk their lives with the vision of finding work in Europe. This year, the rescue team outside the group helped another 321 people.
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Sometimes, however, rescuers arrive late. “During recent rescue operations, we found bodies buried in the sand,” Dillon commented on the operations that the IOM is carrying out together with the Nigerian authorities. “It’s a large area that intersects a lot of roads leading north, and we don’t have enough resources for patrols,” Dillon explained.
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