Algeria

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

With Algeria's civil war in the 1990s Algeria experienced substantial outmigration.  Many Algerians unlawfully entered Tunisia without visas claiming to be tourists and then stayed as workers. Other Algerians went to Europe seeking asylum. Sub-Saharan African migrants came to Algeria after its civil war to work in agriculture and mining.  In the 2000s, a wave of educated Algerians went abroad seeking skilled jobs in a wider range of destinations, increasing their presence in North America and Spain. At the same time, legal foreign workers principally from China and Egypt came to work in Algeria's construction and oil sectors. Irregular migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, especially Malians, Nigeriens, and Gambians, continue to come to Algeria in search of work or on the way to Libya and Europe.

Algeria is Africa’s biggest country by land area and has the Mediterranean Sea to the north and six neighbouring countries: Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia. The number of international migrants in Algeria increased by approximately 10,000 from 2015 to 2019, while the number of refugees within this population remained virtually the same at 100.8 thousand refugees in 2015 and 100.6 thousand in 2019. In Mid-2020 International Migrant Stock in Algeria was 250.4 thousand which constitutes approximately 0.6% of Algeria's total population.

Algeria is best known as country of transit because of where it is situated geographically but it has increasingly also become a country of destination. Algeria faces a number of social and economic issues as a result of the influx of irregular migrants. Algeria is in support of international cooperation on migration and development and of the promotion of a common regional approach on migration issues and management, by actively participating in dialogue initiatives in African and in Mediterranean countries.  There are continually high levels of internal migration from certain rural regions including parts of the Khenchela and Souk-Ahras provinces to urban areas.

The migration corridor from Algeria to France is ranked first of the top 20 migration corridors involving African Countries in the world. The Corridor is also the sixth of the top 20 migration corridors involving European Countries with over one and a half million Algerians migrating to France. There were 98.6 thousand refugees in Algeria in 2019 which was slightly higher than the number the 13 years prior with approximately 94 thousand refugees annually in Algeria from 2005 to 2018. As of October 2020 there were 9758 Urban Refugees and Asylum- Seekers in Algeria, made up of 7587 refugees and 2171 asylum seekers.

Algeria is a Tier 3 country as it neither fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking nor is it making significant efforts to do so. From 2014 to 2019 human traffickers exploited domestic and foreign victims in Algeria and. undocumented sub-Saharan migrants, primarily from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria were and are most vulnerable to labour and sex trafficking in Algeria, especially because of their irregular migration status, poverty, and in some instances  due to language barriers.

BACKGROUND/ BASIC INFORMATION

Algeria’s population in 2020 was approximately 43.9 million with over 99% of the population of Arab-Berber ethnicity and less than 1% of European Ethnicities. The primary languages spoken in Algeria are Arabic (national official language), French (lingua franca) and Berber/Tamazight (National Official Language). The overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim (mainly Sunni) constituting approximately 99% percent of the population with 1% or less being Christian and Jewish. International migrants constitute 0.6 per cent of the population. Algeria is Africa’s biggest country by land area and has the Mediterranean Sea to the north and six neighbouring countries: Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia. Algeria rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara, and supports the Polisario Front that represents the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" which is recognised by Algeria, and the Algerian-Moroccan land border remains closed.

INTERNATIONAL AND INTERNAL MIGRANTS

The number of international migrants in Algeria increased by approximately 10,000 from 2015 to 2019, while the number of refugees within this population remained virtually the same at 100.8 thousand refugees in 2015 and 100.6 thousand in 2019. In Mid-2020 International Migrant Stock in Algeria was 250.4 thousand which constitutes approximately 0.6% of Algeria's total population.  15.6 % of said international migrants were 19 years and younger, 11.6% were 65 and older and 47.2% of international migrants were female. From 2000 to 2019 the proportion of female migrants within the International migrant stock increased by 2% and there was a significant shift in the age of migrants over this period with the 20-64 age group increasing by over 5% and the 65 and older group increasing my just over 2 %, while the corresponding proportion of international migrants aged 19 and under shrank over this period by more than 7.5% decreasing from 23.9% of international migrants in 2000 to 16.3% in 2019.  The substantial majority of international migrants in Algeria are from Western Sahara numbering approximately 170,000 and the other four of the top five populations of international migrants in Algeria are: the State of Palestine (about 35,000), Somalia (approximately 12,000), Iraq (about 9,000) and Saudi Arabia (about 5,000). Emigrants slightly exceed immigrants with a net migration over the 5-year period between 2015 and 2020 at -50 thousand. However, in 2019 and 2020 emigration substantially outnumbered international migrant.

Algeria is best known as country of transit because of where it is situated geographically but it has increasingly also become a country of destination. Algeria faces a number of social and economic issues as a result of the influx of irregular migrants. Algeria is in support of international cooperation on migration and development and of the promotion of a common regional approach on migration issues and management, by actively participating in dialogue initiatives in African and in Mediterranean countries.  

In the 2000s, as many Algerians left the country seeking skilled jobs, a number of regularised foreign workers mainly from China and Egypt came to work in Algeria in the oil and construction sectors.  Irregular migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa (especially from Mali, Niger and Gambia), continue to come to Algeria either in search of work or in order to use the country as a stepping stone to Libya and Europe. Algeria has been the main recipient of Sahrawi refugees since 1975, due to the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara (which is currently part of Morocco). Numerous Sahrawis are estimated to be living in five refugee camps near Tindouf in south-western Algeria. In 2013, terrorists at In Amena carried out an attack crossing from Libya to Algeria which drove Algeria to refocus on cross-border terrorism and thus on protecting its external frontiers.

Poor economic conditions and the absence of employment opportunities causes continually high levels of internal migration from certain rural regions including parts of the Khenchela and Souk-Ahras provinces to urban areas. This internal migration is prevalent among the youth, and compounds the economic decline of these regions as the labour force and population base decline. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is engaged in a strategy for the sustainable economic development of rural regions in order to reverse the trend.  The strategy’s projects provide employment opportunities and improve land management strategies for sustainable and economically viable agricultural projects.  The IOM is working with the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on this in the Wilayas of Khenchela and in the Souk-Ahras province, by improving agricultural infrastructure and local community capacity building for sustainable and productive agricultural practices.

EMIGRATION AND SKILLED MIGRATION

In the 2000s, a wave of educated Algerians left in search of skilled jobs in a wider range of destinations abroad, growing their presence in Spain and in North America.  In 2014 and 2015 there was an increasing emigration pattern related to skilled and highly skilled migration, following which consolidating the ties with the Algerian community abroad and creating new policies and instruments that will allow the diaspora’s involvement in the socio-economic development of the country was one of the priorities expressed by the Algerian Government, in addition to addressing the needs and protecting the rights of the Algerian community abroad.  

A lack of employment opportunities and poor economic conditions cause certain rural regions in Algeria to perpetually experience high levels of emigration especially by the youth, which in some cases involves irregular migration to international destinations. The Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in some instances in partnership with the IOM, has engaged in strategies and projects to develop the rural regions to stem the drain of emigration on labour force and population base.

The migration corridor from Algeria to France is ranked first of the top 20 migration corridors involving African Countries in the world. The Corridor is also the sixth of the top 20 migration corridors involving European Countries with over one and a half million Algerians migrating to France.

FORCED MIGRATION

There were 98.6 thousand refugees in Algeria in 2019 which was slightly higher than the number the 13 years prior with approximately 94 thousand refugees annually in Algeria from 2005 to 2018. As of October 2020 there were 9758 Urban Refugees and Asylum- Seekers in Algeria, made up of 7587 refugees and 2171 asylum seekers.  In terms of asylum application trends the number of asylum applications in Algeria in 2020 decreased receiving 3,399 applications from January to October 2019, and only 2,109 asylum applications from January to October 2020. Additionally in the January to October 2020 period the months of January and February had the highest number of applications (552 and 389 respectively) and after a substantial dip from March to August 2020 asylum applications more than doubled in September and October 2020 to as high as 301 applications in September 2020. The decrease in UNHCR registered asylum seekers from 3,399 in January to October 2019 to 2,109  from January to October 2020 is largely part due to COVID-19 related movement restrictions and border closures. The main countries of origin of applicants for asylum in 2020 were Guinea (461), Mali (311), Cameroon (196), Syria (194), and Ivory Coast (150). Asylum applications were temporarily suspended in 2020 as a COVID-19 preventive measure, then conducted remotely until late June and resuming in-person from July with registration and status deternmination albeit that there were limits on the numbers in line with COVID-19 preventive measures.

In 2018 there are more than 100,000 Western Saharan Sahrawi refugees in Algeria who mostly live in Algerian-sponsored camps in Tindouf province near the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf  and there were  7,757 Syrian refugees in Algeria in 2019.

In June 2020 it is reported that there are at least 173,600 Sahrawi refugees [or former refugees] who reside in five camps located in Tindouf province. The majority of refugees arrived after the rise in conflict in Western Sahara in 1975, or were born in the camps and  90,000 of which are particularly vulnerable according to the UNHCR because of their heavy reliance on humanitarian assistance for necessities and education. Refugees’ livelihoods are limited in the camps due to their remote desert location with almost no employment prospects. Approximately 40% of Sahrawi refugees have unacceptably low levels of food consumption, and refugees are exposed to flooding and sand storms. Additionally in May 2019 the Algerian government’s actions sparked protests by refugees in the Tindouf refugee camps as the Algerian authorities confiscated Algerian passports of Sahrawi refugees that were used for travelling internationally.  Weather related natural disasters displaced 3200 people in Algeria in 2019, with 1200 of the IDPs displaced due to a cold wave and 1800 displaced due to flooding, both of which were in January 2019. The IDMC did not report any IDPs in Algeria as a result of conflict.

In 2017 Algeria decided to repatriate migrants to Niger and Mali which caused diplomatic tensions and it was reported that after migrants were arrested in northern cities, these migrants were transferred to retention centres (the existence of which Algeria denied) and to Tamanrasset and thereafter to In Guezzam or In Khalil from which they walked through the desert to Niger or Mali.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Algeria is primarily a transit country for human trafficking and to a lesser extent is it a destination and source country. The tafficking is primarily trafficking of women subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, men subjected to forced labour. In Algeria there are criminal networks engaged in trafficking and some networks extend to Sub-Saharan Africa and to Europe.  The criminal networks are involved in human smuggling and trafficking, where in some cases Sub-Saharan adults enter Algeria on a voluntary but irregular basis, often with the assistance of smugglers, en route to Europe, yet some of the women are forced into domestic service, prostitution, and/or begging while some Sub-Saharan men, especially from Mali, are forced into domestic servitude.   Additionally  some Algerian women and children are forced into prostitution domestically. Victims of Human trafficking have limited recourse in Algeria and in some instances international migrants who become trafficking victims encounter additional prejudice and harm due to their migration status. For example because of the government’s ineffective identification and screening measures for trafficking victims within vulnerable populations, like African migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and individuals in commercial sex, the authorities punish some victims for unlawful acts traffickers forced them to commit. Another example is that undocumented migrants  are deterred by the Algerian government’s extensive deportation measures, which causes some victims among this population to not report trafficking crimes to the authorities nor to seek assistance. This is compounded by a lack of appropriate protection services provision  to address the needs of trafficking victims.

Algeria is a Tier 3 country as it neither fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking nor is it making significant efforts to do so. From 2014 to 2019 human traffickers exploited domestic and foreign victims in Algeria and. undocumented sub-Saharan migrants, primarily from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria were and are most vulnerable to labour and sex trafficking in Algeria, especially because of their irregular migration status, poverty, and in some instances  due to language barriers.  Unaccompanied women and women traveling with children are also particularly vulnerable to forced domestic work and to sex trafficking.  Before coming to or while in Algeria refugees and asylum-seekers are also vulnerable to trafficking.  False promised of work are often employed by traffickers.

Migrants who are unsuccessful in reaching Europe often attempt to work and raise funds in Algeria and are at high risk of sex trafficking and debt bondage.  Restaurants, houses, or informal worksites are often used by traffickers to exploit victims which makes locating traffickers and victims difficult.  Migrants also may become indebted to smugglers, who then exploit them in forced labour and sex trafficking when they arrive in Algeria.  Female migrants in Tamanrasset, as the main southern transit point into Algeria for migrants, are exploited through debt bondage forcing them to work to repay smuggling debts by sex trafficking, domestic servitude and forced begging.  In some instance migrants fall into debt to fellow nationals in Tamanrasset who pay debts to smugglers and then force the migrants into bonded labour or commercial sex.  Tuareg and Maure smugglers and traffickers in northern Mali and southern Algeria force or coerce men to work as masons or mechanics; women to wash dishes, clothes, and cars; and children to draw water from wells in southern Algeria.

Foreign women and girls, are exploited in sex trafficking in informal brothels and bars, typically by members of their own communities across Algeria, including in cities like Algiers and Tamanrasset.   There are criminal begging rings which have been increasing in number in Algeria over the past several years. Leaders of begging networks through the use of punishment, coerce or force Sub-Saharan African migrant children to beg.  Additionally local leaders have suggested that, due to extreme economic pressures, migrant children may also be coerced into work by their parents.  

In terms of prevention though, the government maintained its efforts to prevent human trafficking.  For instance the anti-trafficking committee launched a website dedicated to human trafficking issues in July 2019 and in 2019 the government initiated several awareness-raising initiatives. The National Council on Human Rights, also continued to lead a sub-committee dedicated to human trafficking issues in 2019.

NATIONAL LEGAL SYSTEM

Algeria’s international commitments take precedence over national law as the 2020 constitution, states that: “The treaties ratified by the President of the Republic under the conditions foreseen by the constitution shall prevail over the law” and the 2016 Constitution said the same.  Algeria ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol, ratified the OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2002 but is not a party to the African Union Convention for The Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention). Although Algeria ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families in 2004, several aspects need to be strengthened in domestic law. Currently, Algerian law addresses undocumented migration as a security concern, which is clear in repatriation operations. In 2012 the Algerian government developed a draft asylum law but the law was not passed as focus shifted to reforming the constitution, which happened in 2016. While the 2016 constitution and the 2020 constitution include the same article on the principle of non-refoulement (Article 83 and Article 50 respectively), neither constitution explicitly guarantees the right to asylum. Additionally there is no legislated procedure in place for registration and processing of asylum claims and hence UNHCR processed these claims. However processing is for a number of reasons which include security concerns regarding the South of Algeria, applications are only processed in Algiers where UNHCR has a presence and hence some many not have access to asylum. The Algerian constitution also only protects those who reside lawfully in the country. There is provision in accordance with Law 08-11 (2008) that under certain precise circumstances foreigners who reside in Algeria may obtain residence permits allowing them to work, such as if they have temporary work authorisations or work permits. In the case of irregular entry a migrants status cannot be regularised and the law criminalises clandestine immigration and emigration. Children have the right to health and education in terms of international instruments but there is some ambiquity about migrant childrens right to health in terms of domestic legislation. Legislation and policy in Algeria appear to be becoming even more restrictive and securitized and there was an increased in the pace of expulsions in October 2020 when ‘the Minister for the Interior Kamel Beldjoud announced an intensification of the fight against irregular migration on 1 October 2020, including the intensification of controls and the dismantling of reception networks.’

MAIN ACTORS

STATE

The Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Regional Planning is the primary govenrment ministry with respect to migrants and includes the Directorate of Territorial Security Coordination. In Algeria to Counter Human Trafficking there are various branches of the Joint Staff including the army; National Gendarmerie (GN) (the rural national police service); the Border Guards; the Ministry of National Defense, Department of Intelligence and Security; and the Ministry of Interior’s national police / General Directorate of National Security. 

The Algerian National Popular Army (ANP) has been a core political actor in Algeria since independence to secure borders and counter terroism. The Ministry of the Interior, as the primary ministry responsible for migrants, like the ANP is focused on security and a securitised response to increasing migrant flows. Although refugees fall under the Foreign Ministry’s, Bureau Algérien pour les Réfugiés et les Apatrides (BAPRA), in practice, UNHCR handles asylum seekers and refugees. The security forces do not tend to differentiate between different categories of migrant when rounding up migrants for collective expulsions.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

Algeria cooperates internationally on migration and development and promotes a common regional approach on migration issues and management by actively participating in dialogue initiatives both in Africa and Mediterranean countries. Among the main organisations working on migrant-related projects in the country there are: the African Union (AU), United Nations Development Programme, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNHCR, International Labour Organization (ILO) and Médecins du Monde.

IOM aims to support the government through technical cooperation and migration and development activities.  UNHCR in Algeria has two offices, one in Algiers (Country Office) and one in Tindouf (Sub Office), and works to safeguard the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. UNHCR provides protection and humanitarian assistance based on specific needs, legal and psycho-social counselling, vocational training, ensures access to government funded medical care and education, and supports voluntary repatriation and resettlement to refugees and asylum-seekers in urban areas, and for Sahrawi refugees in 5 camps around Tindouf, in the South West of the country. 

Algeria is also a State party of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers (CMW), which is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families by its State parties.

Algeria has been an ILO member State since 1962 and gives a great importance to social protection as a means of produced wealth redistribution and a means of fighting poverty.

Médecins du Monde, 2020. support local partners to restore access to healthcare by supporting health structures and to set up sustainable actions, particularly in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Risk Reduction. UNHCR’s partners in Algeria are: Algerian Red Crescent (ARC), Association des Femmes Algériennes pour le Développement (AFAD), Asociación de Trabajadores y Técnicos sin Fronteras (ATTSF), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Humanité et Inclusion (HI), Enfants Refugiés du Monde (ERM), Green Tea Association, Movement for Peace, Disarmament & Liberty (MPDL), Oxfam, Réseau algérien pour la défense des droits de l'enfant (NADA), Solidaridad Internacional Andalucía (SI-A), Triangle Génération Humanitaire (TGH) and Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM). Additionally in ‘Tindouf, UNHCR leads inter-agency efforts to support the Sahrawi refugee programme in close coordination with WFP (food assistance and resilience) and UNICEF (health, education and child protection).

CATHOLIC CHURCH

In Algeria there are four dioceses, including one archdiocese: Algiers, Constantine, Oran and Laghouat.

The Catholic Church in Algeria does not have its own Catholic Bishops conference, but its Bishops are part of the North African Regional Bishops' Conference (Conférence Episcopale Regionale du Nord de l'Afrique, CERNA), that includes the bishops of Marocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Western Sahara. The North African Regional Bishops' Conference is a member of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).

Among the main Catholic organisations working with migrants in Algeria there is Caritas Algérie, JRS, and Rencontre et Développement.

Caritas Algérie an executive body of the Humanitarian service of the Diocesan Association of Algeria (ADA).  Caritas Algeria (CA) supports people who request for assistance, regardless of the origin, identity or religious affiliation. In collaboration with Caritas Confederation and other international organizations, Caritas implemented relief programs for persons affected by natural disasters. In collaboration with UNHCR and other organizations, Caritas Algérie works with migrants crossing the country from sub-Saharan Africa, providing them with medical aid, literacy courses and tutoring classes for younger children. Caritas Algeria has also a shelter for migrants (Centre d'Acceuil pour migrants) in Algiers and collaborates with the Sœurs Missionnaires de Notre-Dame d'Afrique (SMNDA) - the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (MSOLA) in connection with Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation, Encounter and Dialogue with other cultures and religions (JPIC-RD).

In 2012 Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) organised a mission in Algeria to conduct research entitled Experiences of Migrants Living in Morocco and Algeria, December 2012 and partnered with Caritas Algérie; Rencontre et Développement (CCSA: Comité Chrétien des Services en Algérie) and  The Jesuit Community in Algiers among others.

Rencontre et Développement is an Algerian association formed as an initiative of the Catholic Church of Algeria. This association, defined for years as ‘a "service station" on the edge of the migration path, welcomes and treats and educates migrants and asylum seekers.’  The associations assists Migrants who seek assistance with repatriation and safe and secure return in collaboration with local and regional partners.  

OTHER ACTORS 

LADDH (Ligue Algérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme) is one NGO assisting in the defence of rights of migrants and refugees. Mr Wadie Meraghni is a lawyer and member at the Bar Association of Algiers who collaborated with the UNHCR defends refugees and asylum seekers.

Banner photo by BENMANSOUR ZAKARIA on Pixabay