Rome (Union)
The International Organization for Migration has confirmed that nearly a hundred people have died or disappeared in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024.
This came in a statement by the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, during the Italian-African Conference held in Rome the day before yesterday, in the presence of 20 heads of state and government, along with the European Union, United Nations agencies, and a number of African leaders.
Amy explained that the conference represents a crucial opportunity to discuss unified and sustainable mechanisms to stop further unnecessary loss of human life on treacherous roads, and to protect people on the move, calling for safe and regular migration routes to address the tragic losses. She added that she is working with other UN agencies and humanitarian partners on recommendations to provide humanitarian assistance to afflicted migrants and address the tragedy of those who risk their lives on dangerous roads.
It showed that the number of dead and disappeared people increased from 2,048 people to 3,041 by the end of 2023 compared to 2021, according to the organization’s “Missing Migrants Project.”
Meanwhile, National Guard forces in Tunisia raided a house containing 9 migrants detained in a security campaign to track down human smugglers in the Sfax region, according to what the security authorities announced yesterday.
The National Guard Department said in a statement that it had information that six people from sub-Saharan African countries intended to transport migrants across land and then mediate their smuggling across the sea in exchange for sums of money, adding that the security forces arrested 9 migrants detained by another group.
All of them are under investigation on charges of “forming a criminal team for the purpose of human trafficking.” Sfax is a major platform for illegal immigration activities towards the nearby Italian coasts. A day ago, security forces, in their campaigns in the region, arrested 18 intermediaries and human smugglers, and also confiscated an iron boat and eight marine engines. Sources in Sfax said that intensive security campaigns are tracking human smugglers in the region and the surrounding rural areas, where thousands of sub-Saharan migrants are spread out in the fields and olive forests.
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