Refugee crisis: 20 children 'die of thirst after being abandoned by people smugglers' in Niger desert

The bodies of 34 refugees, including 20 children, have been found in the Sahara Desert, Niger authorities have said.

Bazoum Mohamed, the country's interior minister, said the group appeared to have died of thirst after being abandoned by a people smuggler.

Mr Mohamed said nine of the adults were women and five were men, and that they had died between 6 and 12 June.

A government statement said they were found near the small desert town of Assamakka, near the border with Algeria.

The statement, which was released on Twitter by Mr Mohamed, adds: “It draws attention to the risk posed to illegal immigrants by this perilious path, which is carefully maintained by criminal networks.”

Leo Dobbs, a spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, said he was “very concerned” by the reports.

He told The Independent: “In this particular case we need more information before we can comment in detail, but it is very disturbing.

“Large numbers of children, often unaccompanied, travel across Africa looking for a safer life, but they put themselves in danger by doing so.”

Kirsty McNeill, director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children, said it was "tragic" news.

She told The Independent: “The majority of children who make it to Italy report harrowing and severely abusive journeys when interviewed by Save the Children. At the mercy of people smugglers and traffickers, they continue to face grave risks on their way to reach safety. We have heard of the horrors children face; many suffer appalling torture, abuse and exploitation as they make their way through sub-Saharan Africa on to Libya.

"The criminals that transport desperate families will continue to flourish as long as there are no safe and legal alternatives.

“International leaders are pulling up the drawbridge and prioritising border control over saving lives. We must not rip up the moral rule book. If they continue the current course of inaction, we will continue to see children dying of thirst in the summer heat in the desert or drowning at sea, as they try to seek a better life.”

Two of the victims, a man and a 26-year-old woman, have been identified as Nigerian.

The nationalities of the others are not yet clear.

Around 120,000 people crossed through Niger's arid northern Agadez region last year, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).