Walk or Die: Dangers of the Sahara  

Synopsis: Within seconds of setting foot on the sands of the Sahara, the heat pierces even the thickest shoes. Sweat dries upon the first touch of air, providing little relief from the beating sun overhead. Each inhalation is like breathing in an oven. But there is no turning back. For migrants who travel the Sahara through Niger, the dangers are many - and they are not just from the elements. Many don’t make it through the unforgiving terrain. This summer, as part of its reporting on the global migration crisis, the Associated Press didn’t just find people traveling northward toward Europe but also those who were coming south but not because they wanted to. The Algeria government had expelled them, abandoning them in the desert without food or water and forcing them to walk, sometimes at gunpoint.

Publisher: The Associated Press

Publication Date: August 3, 2018

Link to Publication: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfLpCAOepwQ

Video Footage: Bram Janssen, AP Archive

Editing: Nat Castañeda

Reporting: Lori Hinnant, Bram Janssen

Script: Raghuram Vadarevu

Narration: Nicky Forster

This video was part of AP’s yearlong investigation into the hidden toll of migration: https://apimagesblog.com/the-missing-page/