Algeria stops 50 illegal immigrants

The Algerian coast guard late Friday and early Saturday  detained 50 people trying to emigrate to Europe by boat. The arrests, on the eastern beaches of Annaba and El Tarf exposed an increase in the frequency of illegal immigration known as "Horqa" (heartburn). According to the Coast Guard in Annaba, 27 potential migrants on Saturday tried to cross to the other side of the Mediterranean by beginning their journey from the shores of El Kala , in the border province of Tarf on a traditionally-made boat. The same sources said that the group consisted of 27 people - including women – whose ages ranged between 18 – 30 years old and they were stopped about five miles from the fishing port in El Kala during a routine patrol of the Coast Guard. The arrested group was medically examined in the headquarters of the Coast Guard and will be presented before the public prosecutor of the court of Annaba. The coast guard had recently arrested 23 people in Annaba who were trying to enter Europe. Since Ramadan began, 92 people have been caught trying to cross over into Europe.