Algeria’s Mass Deportations of Sub-Saharan Migrants: COSYFOP Issues a New Report

🗓️ Published on: 08/18/2025

As part of its ongoing advocacy, the Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP) has released a follow-up report documenting serious human rights violations against Sub-Saharan African migrants in Algeria since June 2025.

Report axes

The report presents new evidence on the intensification of security raids in several provinces, particularly Oran and Algiers; the mass deportations to the southern borders carried out under harsh and unsafe conditions; and the spread of hate speech and racist narratives across widely followed social media pages, which directly shape public opinion in Algeria.

Official Data and Domestic Criticism

The report also draws on recent official data released by the Ministry of National Defense, which point to hundreds of arbitrary arrests of migrants carried out under inhumane conditions, with no access allowed for human rights organizations to monitor or provide assistance.

The report also denounces the silence of state-backed human rights bodies, such as the Algerian Red Crescent and the National Human Rights Council, which have once again proven to be hollow institutions, devoid of spirit and lacking any genuine action to defend human rights.

Annexes and Testimonies

The report also includes annexes featuring photographs, screenshots, technical data, and direct testimonies gathered through human rights organizations, providing concrete evidence of the racist and discriminatory practices targeting migrants.
The report also highlights COSYFOP’s initiatives over the past year to support migrants, including the creation of a Digital Monitoring Unit tasked with tracking social media platforms and documenting rights violations and racist content.

Recommendations for the International Community

Unlike previous reports, this one does not address recommendations to the Algerian government, which, according to the text, has become “immune to any real pressure due to the inaction of the international community.
This time, the report directs its recommendations to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, and the International Labour Organization, urging them to take a public stance and demand formal clarifications from the Algerian government regarding these violations.

Time to Stand in Solidarity and Act

The report calls on international trade unions and human rights organizations, both inside and outside Algeria, to demonstrate solidarity and take action in defense of migrants’ rights. It urges them to raise awareness within UN bodies and to step up the filing of complaints before these mechanisms, in the hope of prompting concrete measures to protect Sub-Saharan African migrants in Algeria.

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