The tide of illegal immigrants trying to make their way to Europe is reaching critical proportions. This January 2,000 were picked up, mostly by the Italian Navy. The majority come from sub-Saharan Africa. But they also include Syrian, Sudanese and Somali refugees. On Wednesday, in the space of just 24 hours, Italian coastguard and naval vessels rescued a further 1,123 people in the Mediterranean between North Africa and Italy.
These figures give cause for concern. First of all, illegal migrant crossings used to be confined to the summer months. In that period, the seas were calmer and warmer and the voyages, often in flimsy inflatable rafts or decrepit fishing boats, were less hazardous. Now the flow of illegal immigrants, far from slowing or even stopping during the winter months, has actually increased.
Tragically, the figures of those who are “rescued” and detained by the Italian or other European border patrols, conceal a darker statistic. That statistic’s proportion may never be known. This is because by no means all the refugee craft that set off, actually make it to a European coast, or are intercepted so their passengers can be taken to immigrant processing centers.
An unknown number of these overloaded vessels sinks, with the loss of everyone on board. There have also been cases where craft have been found drifting without any passengers. Last month a fishing boat was found with its engine running, circling off the Libyan coast with no sign of any refugees. Last summer, again in Libyan waters, an empty inflatable raft was picked up by the coastguard. Floating in the bottom were passports, identity cards, money and mobile phones. There was no clue as to what had happened to those traveling in the craft, except that a murderous robbery seemed unlikely.
Libya is the main launching point for asylum-seeking refugees. Smaller waves of migrants set off from Egypt for the Greek island of Crete. Italy is also targeted from Tunisia while Spain is the destination for refugees setting off from Algeria, Morocco or Mauritania.
The fact that the number of people trying to make the crossing to Europe during the winter is actually rising, rather than falling, suggests one of two things. The first is that there is an increasing crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.
For sure the new violence in the Central African Republic has seen major flows of refugees, not least ethnic Chadians. The effective civil war in South Sudan will also have caused many families to despair and seek safer pastures. Yet neither conflict, when combined with the continuing strife elsewhere in the continent, would seem to account for the steep rise in refugees heading for Europe. The numbers who have been detained have almost doubled. Adding those whose died in the attempt and those who made it and are hiding in Europe, could increase the figure significantly.
If it is not therefore conflict, then it has to be the people-smugglers, who are driving this burgeoning tide of hopeful immigrants. They do not care whether their “customers” survive the sea voyage. Their main concern is the fees they can command for their services. Reports vary, but it seems that from Libya’s southern border up to and including the craft that will hopefully carry him or her to Europe, will cost a refugee between a thousand and fifteen hundred dollars. The money is generally scrimped together by families. They will be hoping that if relatives make it to wealthy Europe and find work, they will be able to send back money to repay the loan and support the family. Even at rock-bottom wages, a refugee in Europe could be paid in a few weeks more than could earn in an entire year back home.
Unfortunately for the asylum-seekers, they face robbery and detention en route. The people-smugglers have often locked up their victims, seized their precious possessions, demanded relatives wire more money and raped the womenfolk. For the criminal gangs involved, this has become a lucrative and amusing trade, which they wish to encourage, regardless of how safe the final sea voyage may be. They are far from being exclusively Libyan. Somalis, Chadians and Syrians are known to be among the smugglers. They exploit the current total lack of law and order in Libya.
If Europe wishes to stem this rising tide refugees, it should be targeting the smugglers. It should use the same technology as the Americans to intercept the communications of these gangs and seize their funds and where possible their members as well. That and educational messages in sub-Saharan countries, warning against the many perils facing illegal immigrants are the best ways to obstruct this evil trade.
Editorial: How to beat the people-smugglers
