Sierra Leonean Woman Dies in Sahara Desert En route to Algeria

A Sierra Leonean lady identified as Sylvia has reportedly died in the Sahara Desert while travelling to Algeria.

News reaching us indicates that the lady collapsed during the journey in the Sahara Desert. The actual cause of Sylvia’s death is unknown but often migrants making the journey up north are exposed to several dangers like travelling on foot or in overcrowded pickups under extreme weather conditions. The sweltering heat often leaves many dehydrated.

Some citizens of Sierra Leone, like many other West African nations, use the Sahara Desert as a transit point to North Africa before crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The vast Sahara Desert, spanning over 8 million square kilometres is the largest in the world.

Experts from the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have warned of the perils of crossing the unforgivable desert. However, thousands of Sierra Leoneans and other West Africans still use the route to escape economic hardship back home.

In the past the IOM and the Sierra Leone Government repatriated hundreds of Sierra Leoneans stranded in Agadez, Niger and other Sahel countries awaiting to make the dangerous trip up north.

In August 2021, the Sierra Leone Embassy in Algeria confirmed that six Sierra Leoneans including four children lost their lives crossing the vast desrt. The government since then has admonished its citizens of making the perilous journey across the desert.