Illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East trying to flee to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea have been accentuated with another deadly shipwreck off the Libyan coast, leaving 700 people dead. Since the start of 2015, 1500 migrants have been already frozen in the sea while 2014 registered 3000 deaths on the Mediterranean. Background Europe is the primary destination for African migrants worldwide, with about 4.6 million migrants in the EU compared with 890,000 in the US, according to the International Organization for Migration. However, the Migration Policy Institute believes there are between 7 and 8 million African immigrants illegally living in the EU. About two-thirds of Africans in Europe are from North Africa (particularly Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia). The rest come from Western Africa (mainly Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal). In 2006, Spain received at least 636,000 migrants, representing almost half of the EU's total and 122,500 more than the number of migrants arriving in Germany, France, and Britain combined. The numbers have increased recently by more people escaping conflict and civil breakdown, like in Libya and Syria. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 120,000 Syrians have arrived in Europe since 2011, out of 3 million fled to nearby countries. In 2013, 4,000 Palestinians made their journey in the first seven months. Reasons behind illegal immigration A great majority of migrants who come to Europe from either sub-Saharan Africa or the Middle East are mainly fleeing economic chaos, war and human rights abuses. The desperate economic situation in places such as Egypt, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan incites immigration for reasons like earning money to send back to relatives. The UNHCR notes that migrants coming from Syria, Eritrea and Somalia are escaping conflict and rampant rights abuses. This is especially the case for Syrians, Andrej Mahecic, a UNHCR spokesman said. Networks of transportation Global and informal networks which bring people from war-torn areas to the African shores then to the ship are not usually criminals. Some travel agencies make travel visas to enter Damietta port, and then transport migrants via three vessels until they reach their destination, which is too complex to crack. Migrants do not usually have contact with the organizing gangs. A joint-Rescue team (Operations Triton) previously (Operation Mare Nostrum) A joint rescue team has been formed, with funding expenses of around € 9m shared by the Italian government and its EU coastal neighbors. Triton is intended to support the Italian efforts, it does not replace or substitute Italian obligations in monitoring and surveying the Schengen external borders and in guaranteeing full respect of the EU and international obligations, in particular when it comes to search and rescue at sea. The EU force is operating one third of the budget, with a capacity to monitor over 30,000 square miles at sea. Impact of geology on migrants' routes Migrants may attempt the Eastern Mediterranean route, whereas in 2009 the most numbers arrived via Kosovo and Albania, or land crossings leading into Greece and Bulgaria, or the Southern Europe route by sea mainly to Italy, Malta or Greece. The most common current starting point is Libya, where lawlessness and unpatrolled long coastline make it easier for smugglers. Current European policies Europe wants to reject illegal immigration. Portugal, during its EU presidency, has declared the need for a "realistic" immigration policy that will take into account the need for economic migration. EU and Africa established Africa-based migration observatories tasked with collecting, analyzing and disseminating information on migrants flowing between Africa and the EU. The European Union is exploring the establishment of legal job centers across Africa, paying special attention to the skilled labor to encourage their movement through the creation of partnerships between European and African institutions such as universities and hospitals. Finally, in order to offer Africans a genuine alternative to migration to Europe, the partnership will focus on creating more and better jobs in Africa, particularly in the formal economy.
