These Photos Do Not Show Refugees Expelled by Algeria
The Claim
Photos show Syrian and Palestinian refugees being deported by Algeria to the Algeria-Niger border.
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Social media users and some websites have recently shared images purporting to show Syrian and Palestinian refugees who were recently expelled by Algeria and sent to the Algeria-Niger border.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has investigated the claim and found it to be misleading.
The images are old and do not depict Syrian or Palestinian refugees.
As shown in the screenshot below, websites and media outlets uploaded the first image in 2014.
In 2017, the same photo was attached to an article on Al Jazeera Net.
According to the article, the image depicts "Syrian refugees on the Algerian-Moroccan border living in very difficult conditions."
The second image is also old. It has been circulating online since 2019.
The image depicts a "group of migrant men, primarily from Niger and Nigeria, resting on January 22, 2019, before continuing their journey in the Air Desert in northern Niger to the Libyan border crossing of Gatrone," according to a Google Image Reverse Search.
The third photo is also old and does not show Syrian and Palestinian refugees expelled from Algeria.
According to Human Rights Watch, the image shows migrants from various countries, including 270 Algerians photographed when they arrived in Assamaka, Niger, on September 30, 2020.
Did Algeria Send Refugees to the Nigerian Desert?
The claim began to circulate as Algeria recently hosted the first Arab League Summit since the COVID-19 outbreak under a “Reunification” slogan.
The summit's final statement supported efforts to admit Palestine as a full member of the United Nations and expressed support for efforts to end the fighting in Syria.
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Khadija Bofous contributed to this fact check.
