Rabat – More than 3,000 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers died or went missing while attempting to reach Europe through Mediterranean and Atlantic routes last year, according to a United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) report.
Released on Friday, the report indicates that most of those lost at sea crossing from Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria to Spain, Italy and Malta are mainly from North African countries, with others from West and East Africa.
Almost 2,000 died or went missing on the Central and Western Mediterranean routes, while 1,153 were reported dead or missing on the Northwest African maritime route to the Spanish Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands, which are 100 kilometers west of Morocco, have become a hotspot for migrants trying to reach Europe. Earlier this week, Spanish coast guards rescued 116 sub-Saharan African migrants after their boats capsized off the coast of the Islands.
The UNHCR estimates that a larger number of migrants may have died or went missing along land routes in the Sahara desert and remote border areas.
Since the beginning of 2022, 478 people have also been reported dead or missing in the three sea routes.
Each year, thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa, make the journey to reach Europe from North African coasts on inflatable boats in search for a better future.
“Many boats drifted off course or otherwise went missing without trace in these waters,” said the agency.
Land routes are equally dangerous, as migrants risk getting lost and dying in the desert and remote areas, “in detention centers, or while in the captivity of smugglers or traffickers.”
According to the UNHCR, continuous political instability, wars, poor socioeconomic conditions, and the impact of climate change could lead to more migration attempts.
As a part of a new plan, the UNHCR is seeking $163.5 million (MAD 1.6 billion) to assist and protect thousands of refugees and migrants on risky journeys to Europe across the Central and Western Mediterranean Seas and the Atlantic.
At a press briefing in Geneva that took place today, Friday, UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo called for strengthening humanitarian and development action “to address these drivers that force people to move in the first place.”
Last year, the United Nations rights office released a report in which it blamed the European Union for cases of deaths and missing people in the Mediterranean sea due to its illegal pushbacks.
Following these criticisms and allegations, head of EU border agency Frontex Fabrice Leggeri has resigned. The Fontex board will discuss his position in an emergency meeting today, Friday.
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