Algerian Authorities are Called to Deal with Dignity with Migrant Peoples and the Church is often Called to Act Against the Dominant Social Norms

By Raffi Chilingirian

News

Lately, there has been an intensification of mass arrests of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries in Algeria. More than 280 people have been arrested in total, including 12 children. Algerian Interior Minister Noureddine Badawi remarked that security forces had recorded an average of 500 attempts of illegal entry on a daily basis across the southern border with Niger and Mali, the countries with the highest “exporters” of migrants to Algeria. International human rights organizations, however, following up on these latest developments, have decried that law enforcement officers conducted these arrests arbitrarily, without verification of identities or checking for valid residency permits.

Though Badawi announced that it was the joint efforts by local authorities in the border provinces, with the presence of the army, that had made it possible to reduce illegal immigration, it is clearly not possible to control the influx of migrants without regional and international cooperation or without consideration for social and humanitarian dimensions.

Analysis

There are no official statistics on the number of illegal residents in Algeria, but it is estimated that at least 70,000 are from African countries. Around 10,000 migrants are stationed in cities and towns of Tamanrasset, Elizi, and Adrar provinces in the far south on the border with Mali, Niger and Mauritania, where farmers and owners of construction sites illegally employ those capable of working in harsh conditions, paying them low wages. Many families are among those migrating, and often the women and children are forced to beg on the streets for food and work.

In recent years, the numbers of migrants have increased due to recent developments in Mali, following the coup d’état on the 21^st of March 2012 and the subsequent takeover in the North by a militant group, whereupon they declared an Islamic emirate. This led to the escape of thousands of families to Algeria, who have become refugees living on the streets of the cities.

Algerian public opinion is divided on this matter. Some believe that receiving them is a duty in line with the policy adopted by the country since independence, and that the people’s intention to emigrate, which involves walking through the Sahara Desert, is proof that they had no choice but to leave their countries in search for safety and better living conditions.

After several quarrels between immigrants and local communities, there were calls for the government to address the situation either by gathering migrants in special centers or by deporting them. Some have even launched a campaign, called “Expel the Africans,” which was denounced as a racist and discriminatory campaign against those fleeing war by human rights advocates.

Other sources confirm that many people were transported by trucks to the desert on the southern border area of the country and forced to leave the territory. People were left there without resources, vulnerable to abuse and other violations. Several hundreds have left to Niger and Mali.

Human rights organizations have called on the Algerian authorities to immediately cease those practices that do not conform with international conventions ratified by Algeria.

However, it is worth noting here that Algeria, along with other North African countries, has not signed the protocol on the freedom of movement of people and right of residence. This could be due to fears of mass migration from sub-Saharan Africa.

Recommendations and Theological Reflections

Human rights activists, like Musrafa Bouachashi, have called the government to enact domestic legislation enabling migrant communities to live a decent life and allowing them to work legally, hence preserving the dignity and humanity of migrants.

What is the church called to do about foreigners and migrants in relation to the government and its policies?

The influx of people creates conflict and controversy which affect not only migrants but also the receiving communities, making migration an easily disputed political and social issue. The heated debates over cultures, religions, economics, resources, and rights can quickly polarize public opinion, with the result that the migration debate becomes a major headache.

Despite the fact that borders divide people and nations, God has created humanity to be in relation and communication with each other. As such, breaking through artificial borders of exclusion, in imitation of Christ, becomes an ethical mandate. The closer people move toward God and communion with others, the more the walls of division, exclusion and alienation will be broken down. The further people move away from God, the more people will create walls and barriers between themselves and others.

The church is called to seek and foster human dignity among the poor and the vulnerable, challenging the political structures and systems of society that divide and dehumanize, and instead to uplift and build a more just and humane society. Reducing people to their legal or political status not only denies dignity to those in need but also shackles those who have the opportunity to help. Ignoring those in pain and building walls of separation alienates people not only from each other but also from their humane selves.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35-36).