The Mediterranean sea became“the most deadly route in the world" in 2014, with at least 3.419 migrants drowned in trying to cross it whilelooking for a better life, announced the UN High Committee for Refugees (UNHCR).
Since the beginning of the year, more than207,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean, three times more than the previous record of2011, when70.000 people fledtheir countries following the Arab spring.
“These figures reflect a new trend: Europe is now confronted with a number of conflicts at its door", said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the UNHCR.
Europe, facing conflicts to its south (Libya), east (Ukraine) and south-east (Syria/Iraq) is seeing the largest number of sea arrivals. Although not all are people needing asylum, more than 207,000 people have crossed the Mediterraneansince the start of January–almost three times the previous known high of about 70,000 in 2011, when the Libyan civil war was in full swing. For the first time, people from refugee-producing countries (mainly Syria and Eritrea) have in2014 become a major component in this tragic flow, accounting for almost 50 per cent of the total.
Almost 80% of departures are from the Libyan coast, in order to join Italy or Malta.
In addition to the Mediterranean, there are at least three other major sea routes in use today both by migrants and people fleeing conflict orpersecution. In the Horn of Africa region 82,680 people crossed the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea in the first 11 months of this year en routemainly from Ethiopia and Somalia to Yemen or onwards to Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Most migrants that made it to Italy this year are from Syria (60,051), fleeing the war that has been going on for three and a half years, and from Eritrea (34.561) who flee inorder to escape brutal oppression and forced work or military service for life.
HCR has repeatedly criticised the way EU states administer the refugee issue. Nevertheless,EU commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos pointed out that 34,000 resettlement places have so far been offered to Syrian refugees by EU memberstates, marking the "largest commitment in the history of EU resettlement efforts".
The vast majority of the boats are departing from Libya where smugglers have taken advantage of a security vacuum created by the fall of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime in 2011 to establish routes for smuggling migrants and illicit goods from the country’s southern frontiers to its northerncoastal towns.
A recently launched report by the Nairobi-based Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS) and the Danish Refugee Council examines evidence that migrants and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa are increasingly willing to undertake the risky journey to Libya and then Europeas previously popular routes to Saudi Arabia via Yemen and to Israel via Egypt have become largely closed to them.
The authors suggest that the flow of asylum seekers from Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan who are “Going West” to Libya and Europe is increasing rapidly, despite the enormous risks associated with this route.
Only in November,8.000 migrants have been saved in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, the Italian authorities announced in October the end of the Mare Nostrum operation. Mare Nostrum was launched following a shipwreck that claimed the lives of more 350 asylumseekers a short distance from Lampedusa in October 2013.
The Italian Navy and Coast Guard launched the operation to intercept and rescue migrants from unseaworthy boats and prevent further tragedies. The mission hasundoubtedly saved tens of thousands of lives by the fleet’s five vessels, but anti-immigrant groups in Italy have complained about the cost to tax payers and argued that, by reducing the risk of the crossing, it is encouragingmore migrants to make the journey.
Italy put an end to it for lack of support from other EU countries.
Mare Nostrum was replaced with Triton, a Frontex coordinated joint operation, requested by the Italian authorities that started its activity on1 November 2014. Its budget is estimated at €2.9 million per month.
TheUN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said some governments were increasingly seeing keeping foreigners out asbeing a higher priority than upholding asylum.
"This is a mistake, and precisely the wrong reaction for an era in which record numbers of people are fleeing wars," Guterres said. "Securityand immigration management are concerns for any country, but policies must be designed in a way that human lives do not end up becomingcollateral damage."
http://www.neurope.eu/article/almost-3500-people-drowned-mediterranean-2014