Casablanca – Farouk Ksentini, President of Algeria’s National Consultative Commission for Human Rights Protection and Promotion, made a controversial statement regarding migrants and refugees to the Algerian daily “Essawt El Akher.”

On December 5, the president of Algeria’s human rights commission told “Essawt El Akher” that “the presence of migrants and refugees in various parts of the country can cause problems to Algerians,” adding that their presence “could risk the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.”

“That disease is widespread” within that community, he continues, saying African migrants should be deported “to stop this catastrophe that is imposed on us.”

The statement was incredibly controversial and was criticized in the nation and abroad, especially as there is no shortage of African refugees and migrants in Algeria.

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the number of sub-Saharan migrants in Algeria ranges from 60,000 to 100,000.

[Bolding mine]