SOS Mediterranee said the rescue ship Ocean Viking has just rescued more than 600 migrants drifting in the Mediterranean. Since the beginning of the year, at least 1,848 people have died on this most dangerous sea crossing route for migrants trying to reach Italy and Malta from North Africa. Preventing illegal migration is a hot issue that is causing headaches for countries on both sides of the Mediterranean.
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| Migrants sleep on the deck of the rescue ship “Ocean Viking” in the Mediterranean Sea on November 6, 2022. Photo: SOS Mediterranee/ Reuters |
A spokesman for SOS Mediterranee said that since the morning of August 10, the organization has rescued 623 migrants in 15 operations. The majority of the migrants were from Sudan, with the rest from Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin and Bangladesh. One group was taken to the island of Lampedusa, while the others were taken to the port of Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome, Italy.
This is just one of the daily rescue operations in the Mediterranean, a “migrant hotspot” of the world. The European border agency Frontex said that with 132,370 people trying to illegally cross into the European Union (EU), the number of illegal migrants arriving in the EU in the first six months of 2023 increased by 10% compared to the same period last year. The number of migrants choosing the Central Mediterranean route to illegally enter Europe increased by more than 30% and accounted for more than 50% of the total number of migrants entering Europe. Notably, in the past 10 years, more than 75% of migrants died in the Mediterranean while choosing this dangerous route.
Located in the heart of the Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the most popular transit points for illegal migrants entering Europe. Despite strict measures taken by the Tunisian authorities to tackle the problem, the number of illegal migrants from Tunisia to Italy has continued to rise. Italy is the main destination in Europe for migrants seeking asylum on the continent. Some 93,700 migrants have arrived by sea in Italy since the beginning of the year, up from 44,700 in the same period last year. Meanwhile, according to Moroccan authorities, which is also a departure point for migrants from North Africa, 26,000 irregular migration cases have been prevented in the first five months of this year.
Frequent shipwrecks in the Mediterranean have prompted UN agencies to call for safe passage for migrants and asylum seekers heading to the EU. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stressed the need to improve the management of migrant flows, warning that unless states commit more to coordinated rescue operations at sea, the Mediterranean tragedy will inevitably recur. UNHCR, together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has pushed for a more unified approach to search and rescue operations for migrants. These agencies have worked with local authorities in Lampedusa, Italy, to assist in the disembarkation and initial reception of migrants. UN agencies also confirmed the increased risks when migrants cross the sea by rail, especially in adverse weather conditions, and condemned human trafficking organizations.
Countries in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa have agreed to reduce irregular migration by cracking down on human trafficking and reducing the pressure on people to leave their homes and seek passage to Europe. Countries with large numbers of migrants, mainly in Africa, have called on all parties to share the burden and responsibility for dealing with mass migration. The EU and Tunisia have signed an agreement to prevent irregular migrants from entering the bloc. The EU and several African countries have also agreed to “treat the root cause” of irregular migration through development funding, hunger eradication and poverty reduction projects.
Co-ordinated efforts to stem the flow of migrants are being intensified, but the number of tragedies occurring in the Mediterranean remains alarming. This shows that this continues to be a hot issue and needs to be urgently resolved./.
According to Nhan Dan
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