GENEVA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency UNHCR on Thursday said it is concerned about the safety of vulnerable individuals from Syria, Yemen and Palestine who are reportedly stranded at Algeria's southern border with Niger.
In a statement issued Thursday, UNHCR said it received information that the group -- consisting of some 120 Syrian, Palestinian and Yemeni individuals -- was detained at the Tamanrasset Center in southern Algeria before being taken to an area near the Guezzam border post on Dec. 26 last year.
Some of the individuals in this group are known to UNHCR as registered refugees who have fled conflict and persecution or claim to have attempted to seek international protection in Algeria, the statement said.
UNHCR cited media information as saying that 20 individuals from this group currently remain stranded in the desert, three kilometers from the Guezzam border post where they are exposed to the elements.
The other 100 individuals who were taken to the border are unaccounted for, UNHCR said, adding that it is in contact with the Algerian authorities regarding this incident and advocating for access to assess their protection needs.
