The number of migrants who died at sea trying to reach Europe has more than doubled this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced today, calling on states to take urgent action.
According to the statistics published by the IOM in its new report, volAt least 1,146 people died at sea trying to reach Europe in the first half of this year.
In the same period of 2020, 513 had lost their lives and 674 in 2019.
“Civilian search-and-rescue agencies continue to face significant obstacles, with most of their ships anchored in European ports due to seizures by administrative authorities and pending criminal and administrative proceedings against crew members,” the report said.
The IOM also notes that the increase in the number of deaths comes at a time when interceptions of vessels carrying migrants off the coast of North Africa are on the rise.
For years, Italy and the European Union have funded, trained and equipped the Libyan Coast Guard to prevent traffickers from smuggling migrants and refugees into Europe by makeshift boats. In addition, an Italian naval ship moored in Tripoli provides them with technical assistance.
The Libyan Coast Guard, however, has been widely accused of mistreating asylum seekers, with many NGOs denouncing the policy. Under international maritime law, people rescued at sea must disembark in a safe harbor. And the UN does not consider Libyan ports safe.
“The IOM reiterates its call on states to take urgent and precautionary measures to reduce the loss of human life on sea routes to Europe and to comply with their obligations under international law,” the IOM said in a statement. Antonio Vitorino.
“Intensifying search and rescue efforts, establishing predictable disembarkation mechanisms and ensuring access to safe and legal migration routes are key steps in achieving this goal,” he said.
In the first six months of 2021, the majority of deaths were recorded in the Mediterranean (896), an increase of 130% compared to the same period in 2020.
Most died in the Central Mediterranean (741), which is characterized by humanitarian organizations as the most dangerous migration route in the world, while in the Eastern Mediterranean 149 died. Six people died trying to reach Greece by sea from Turkey.
During the same period, at least 250 migrants drowned at sea while trying to cross the Canary Islands into the Atlantic Ocean.
However, “These reports are certainly much smaller than they really are,” the IOM said, noting that “hundreds of cases of invisible shipwrecks.” reported by NGOs in direct contact with migrant passengers on boats or with their families.
“These cases, which are extremely difficult to verify, show that the death toll on sea voyages to Europe is much higher than the available figures show,” added the Geneva-based International Organization.
The report also records an increase for the second consecutive year in maritime operations by North African states along the Central Mediterranean Sea route. According to the IOM, more than 31,500 people were intercepted or rescued by North African authorities in the first half of this year, compared to 23,117 in the first six months of 2020.
This type of business off the coast of Tunisia increased by 90% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year. In addition, more than 15,300 people were deported to Libya in the first six months of 2021, almost three times as many as in the same period in 2020 (5,476).
For the IOM, this situation is “worrying as migrants returning to Libya face arbitrary detention, extortion, disappearance and torture.”
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