During the first seven months of the year, the International Organization for Migration registers an increase in wiretapping of migrants from the Libyan Coast Guard in the Mediterranean. Figures difficult to analyze for the International Organization for Migration.
A total of 20,257 people were intercepted between January and July, IOM indicates, compared to 12,000 throughout 2020. The increase in departures is “100% from January to July” compared to the same period. Last year, an official of the Libyan navy told the Agence France press, on condition of anonymity. And this summer, the death toll is breaking records according to NGOs patrolling the area at sea.
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While the ceasefire in the war that is taking place on Libyan soil seems to be the reason for this increase in departures, every other migrant ends up back in Libya. A situation of concern to Flavio Di Giacomo, IOM’s representative for the Mediterranean, joinsLucas Bouguet by the African editorial board, as the situation of people in exile in Libya has not improved, according to him, despite the cessation of hostilities and a relative stabilization of the internal situation thanks to the ceasefire in October 2020 and the establishment of a transitional government. “Migrants living in Libya are in a very difficult situation that has not improved. On the contrary, it seems that the danger has increased compared to last year. It is probably for this reason that migrants are trying to escape Libya where they are exposed to violence and where human rights are violated.
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The smugglers more visible In addition, a few months ago, until last year, migrants who left on inflatable boats were very easy to inflate them on the beach, and this allowed them to move very quickly from one place to another without being seen by the authorities. . And now we have even registered the arrival this year of large wooden boats with hundreds of people on board. Which had not been the case for the past three years. This means that traffickers are obviously less afraid of being arrested on the beach, as it takes time to fill these boats with wood, we are clearly visible on the beach, which shows that they are not afraid of the authorities. ”
The fact that the smugglers take less care can be explained by the fact that the months of imprisonment they are trying to compensate explain to the lawyer Anouar al-Werfalli, a specialist in migration issues. “The smugglers have accelerated the pace to compensate for the shortage during the many months of containment” and “many migrants who had to stop their migration project are back on track,” according to Werfalli.
(1/5) 555 pers. rescued in 6 operations 2 searches for boats in distress without cord. authorities 6 days without instructions on the location of the survivors’ disembarkation 3 medical evacuations, 4 days disembarkation Here in numbers is the last mission for #OceanViking pic.twitter.com/97W7zwXf4E
– SOS MEDITERRANEE France (@SOSMedFrance) August 16, 2021
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