Highest number in years
UN: Thousands of migrants die on their way to Europe
06/13/2023 9:57 p.m
In the past year, a record number of people have died trying to get to Europe from the Middle East and North Africa. As before, most of them lose their lives in the Mediterranean – but there is also a particularly delicate route overland.
According to the United Nations, more people died on escape routes from and within the Middle East and North Africa last year than at any time since 2017. As the International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote in a published report, almost 3,800 migrants lost their lives in the region in the period from January to December 2022. The actual number of deaths is likely far higher. However, there is a lack of official data, it said. There were more deaths only in 2017, when 4255 people died in the region.
The deadliest route for migrants is the route across the Mediterranean: According to the IOM, almost 2,400 people died there in 2022, also more than since 2017. Most of the deaths on land routes in the region occurred last year in the civil war country Yemen. According to the report, almost 800 people died there on migration routes. “The alarming death toll on migration routes requires immediate attention and concerted efforts to improve migrant safety and security,” said IOM Regional Director Othman Belbeisi.
Haters of Israel are supposed to keep refugees away from the EU for a lot of money
Only on Sunday did the EU Commission hold out the prospect of financial aid of up to 900 million euros for the North African country of Tunisia. In view of the increasing number of Mediterranean migrants, Brussels hopes to work with Tunisia to take more effective action against people smugglers and illegal crossings. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that a good 100 million euros would be made available for search and rescue operations and the repatriation of migrants.
Tunisia’s President Saied said on the occasion of the high-profile visit from the EU that he did not want to play Europe’s border police. He is considered an evil persecutor of gays, hater of Israel and Islamist in suit. Saied is in favor of the death penalty and against equal rights for women in inheritance law. Not only does he reject the normalization of relations with Israel, he even describes it as “treason.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been campaigning for months for a border protection agreement with Tunisia, from where many migrants leave for Italy. In her opinion, the EU should pay for bringing the refugee boats back safely to the Tunisian ports. The refugees would then no longer try. The EU had agreed something similar with Turkey in 2016.