World

The Mediterranean graveyard

As many as 218,000 are thought to have crossed from Africa to Europe in 2014, and at least 3,500 have died

Editorial April 21, 2015

As many as 218,000 are thought to have crossed from Africa to Europe in 2014, and at least 3,500 have died. PHOTO COURTESY: INAGIST

The captain of the ship carrying as many as 900 migrants which capsized about 120 miles south of the island of Lampedusa on April 19 has been arrested by the Italian authorities. There were 28 survivors and it is the biggest single loss of life among many incidents in which migrants attempt to get to the European countries from the strife-torn countries of the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. The boats they attempt to make the crossing in are managed by human smugglers who make huge profits from the operation. They are often unseaworthy and many are unpowered, towed to a point outside territorial waters of their country of origin and then cast adrift to await rescue.

In the last week, 11,000 migrants have reached Italy alone, and the country is bearing the brunt of the migrant inflow as is the tiny island state of Malta. The migrants are fleeing from countries that have fallen into chaos in the conflicts that have erupted since the so-called ‘Arab spring’ that brought regime change across much of the Maghreb and the Levant. As many as 218,000 are thought to have crossed from Africa to Europe in 2014, and at least 3,500 have died.

The figures this year are going to be higher, both for crossings and deaths with at least 1,500 drowned this year. The European Union (EU) foreign ministers met on April 20. The EU is a collection of states each with their own and differing policies on inwards migration. There is no uniformity. Previous attempts to harmonise policy towards migrants have failed. There is no single solution and human-smuggling has mushroomed into a major industry that supports hundreds of thousands, not just those at the top of the chain. Taking out the men at the top will not eradicate the problem. In many EU countries, immigration is a political hot potato and with a general election in the UK just weeks away, there are questions about what, if any, responsibility the UK has in this matter. One thing is certain — the deadly tide is years away from turning.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2015.

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