More than 40 African refugees die of thirst Sahara desert.

Europe Migrant Crisis

Crossing the Sahara is one of the most perilous parts of the journey as migrants are crammed into pickup trucks often with only enough room for a few liters of water, reports Reuters news agency.

The unforgiving conditions of the Sahara Desert mean that a broken down vehicle is often a death sentence for migrants.
Niger serves as a transit point for West Africans hoping to reach Europe to start a better life.


Every year, tens of thousands of migrants cross the Sahara to reach Libya. From the Libyan coast they board rickety boats to ferry them to Europe.
Many drown in the Mediterranean but, perhaps, less well known, are the dangers they face while crossing the Sahara.

It's not known how many deaths there are every year - as it's a vast, ungoverned region. But many migrants die of thirst, while others are robbed and attacked by criminal gangs and security forces.