Migrations from the Sahel through Southern Algeria to the North : A Socio-Anthropological Survey

Migration from the Sahel region (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria) through southern Algeria toward northern Algeria has intensified over the past two decades due to economic, political, security, and environmental crises. Southern Algeria, historically a space of trans-Saharan mobility, has become a key transit zone and temporary settlement area for these migrants, with some aiming to reach northern Algeria or Europe.
Existing research highlights migration as a multidimensional social process, influenced by networks, strategies of adaptation, and transnational dynamics (Castles et al., 2014; Bredeloup, 2014). While studies document the presence of Sub-Saharan migrants in Algeria, most focus on macro-level policies, border security, or statistical analyses, often neglecting the subjective experiences, identity transformations, and daily practices of migrants.
This project addresses these gaps through a socio-anthropological approach, examining how Sahelian migrants construct their migratory trajectories, negotiate identities, and interact with local communities in northern Algeria under conditions of precarity and restrictive migration policies. The study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of migration as a lived social experience, highlighting processes of solidarity, integration, and marginalization.