Sep 29, New York: Over 2,500 migrants have perished or gone missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to Al Jazeera and the UN Refugee Agency.
During the same time, 186,000 individuals entered Europe.
According to Al Jazeera, UNHCR New York director Ruven Menikdiwela informed the UN Security Council that 83% of the 186,000 migrants who crossed the Mediterranean arrived in Italy, or 130,000 people.
She also stated that individuals arrived in Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta.
According to Al Jazeera, the Security Council was informed that more persons perished or went missing during the sea passage this year than previous.
According to the Security Council, more people perished or went missing during the risky sea trip this year than previous.
“By September 24, over 2,500 people were dead or missing in 2023,” Menikdiwela added. That was a big rise from 2022’s 1,680 deaths and disappearances.
The UN Refugee Agency sees “no end in sight” to deaths at sea and on risky land routes to Europe, Menikdiwela said.
She told the council that the land trek from sub-Saharan African nations to Tunisian and Libyan sea crossing departure ports “remains one of the world’s most dangerous” (Al Jazeera).
Menikdiwela remarked, “Lives are also lost on land, away from public attention.”
According to the UNHCR, migrants and refugees “risk death and gross human rights violations at every step.”
Over 102,000 Tunisians attempted to cross the Mediterranean this year, up 260% from last year, while over 45,000 Libyans did, she claimed.
According to Al Jazeera, UNHCR’s estimates matched IOM head Par Liljert’s.
Recent IOM statistics shows that from January to September 2023, over 187,000 people crossed the Mediterranean in search of a better future and safety, Liljert told the Security Council.
Additionally, “Tragically, during this same period, IOM recorded 2,778 deaths, with 2,093 occurring along the treacherous central Mediterranean route.”
“Yet, despite its clear dangers, in 2023, there has been an increase in arrivals to Greece along this route of over 300 per cent, while the number of arrivals in Spain has remained steady, primarily through the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands from last year,” he said.
As reported by Al Jazeera, IOM arrivals to Italy increased from 70,000 in 2022 to over 130,000 in 2023.
