Across North Africa, tens of thousands of migrants have been forcibly removed and abandoned in barren desert zones, left at risk of starvation, violence and death. These expulsions are carried out with European funds, masked by the sanitised language of “migration management”, and often, with Europe’s knowledge.
The investigation reveals that EU-sourced resources, including money, vehicles and surveillance technology, directly enable these “desert dumps”, which systematically target Black communities through racial profiling and forceful expulsion in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, even after people’s legal status and livelihoods in these countries have long been established.
The team behind Desert Dumps drew praise for what jury members described as the most comprehensive account to date of how European migration policy fuels abuse beyond its borders. The jury recognised the innovative, cross-border collaboration for exposing double moral standards and contributing to one of the most urgent political debates for the EU.
“This investigation changed the debate,” jury member Königer said. “The horrible term ‘desert dump’ has entered the vocabulary of NGOs and policymakers. It reminds us Europeans that the values we invoke must also apply where people are desperately trying to reach their sphere of influence.”