Twelve Syrian migrants found dead in desert in Algeria

The search operation for the five missing persons is still ongoing, says Bassem Farroukh at the Syrian embassy in Algeria.

– The victims came from Libya on Tuesday and were found dead on Saturday following getting lost in the desert, he tells AFP.

The migrants were found by the Search and Rescue Association, a voluntary organization that specializes in rescuing people lost in the Algerian desert.

The organization says it has identified the dead as two Algerians and twelve Syrians, including a ten-year-old and a 16-year-old.

Farroukh blames the Libyan authorities, who he claims expelled the migrants and “pressured them to flee towards Algeria”.

– We will see more Syrians leave Libya in the same way and set off for Algeria, and I’m afraid we have to prepare for more disasters, he says.

In 2016, 22 Syrians got lost in the Algerian desert following arriving there from neighboring Niger. They were rescued by the Algerian army.

Many Syrians, as well as migrants from other countries, come to North Africa to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in the hope of reaching Western Europe.

Syria is still the country with the most people on the run. In total, over 13.8 million people have been forcibly displaced inside and outside the country, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).