Finally, some measure of attention, even if belatedly so, seems to be shifting towards the monumental humanitarian tragedy unfolding at the Mediterranean. In the past few years, the whole world has been looking askance as the large body of water separating the African continent from Europe suddenly turns into a mass grave for thousands of prospective Asian and African immigrants aspiring to make the breakthrough trip to Europe, where they believe greener pastures await them.
Unfortunately, not many of them eventually make it across to the other side. Undertaking the perilous journey in makeshift and overloaded boats, many end up as lifeless bodies to be washed ashore by the wild and unrelenting waves, or as meals for fish and animals whose natural habitat in the sea could be said to have been rudely invaded.
The past few weeks have been particularly harrowing and tragic. In one particular instance, on the night of April 19, between 700 and 900 people were feared dead after the boat they were travelling in rammed into a ship that was coming to their aid following a distress call. The main reason given for the tragic shipwreck was that the people panicked and rushed to one side when they saw the ship that had come to rescue them, causing the boat to tilt dangerously towards the rescue ship.
No doubt the worst of its kind so far, the boat that capsized off the island of Lampedusa in Italy, met its fate barely a week after a similar incident in which 400 people were feared dead. So far, it is believed that about 1,700 people have died this year alone while trying to cross the Mediterranean in rickety boats. This contrasts with the 96 that drowned by the same period last year. The International Organisation for Migration believes the number of migrants dying while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea could reach the 30,000 mark by the end of the year.
In its report last year, entitled, “Fatal journeys: migrant fatalities across land and sea,” the IOM said that of the 40,000 people that had perished globally trying to migrate since 2000, 22,000 of them died while trying to reach Europe. “It is time to do more than count the number of bodies,” William Swing, the IOM chief, said.
Not surprisingly, the number of immigrants has been increasing in direct proportion to the rise and intensity of conflicts around the world. They have come mainly from countries such as Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, Niger, Senegal, Mali, Zambia, Bangladesh, Ghana, the Gambia and, of course, Nigeria. Libya, because of the political instability in the country, has become the preferred route, where those referred to as human traffickers take advantage of the situation to make brisk money.
When Libya was stable under the leadership of the late Muammar Gaddafi, it was easier to stamp out this practice. But with warlords now in charge, law and order has broken down in Libya. Boat operators charge between $700 and $1,000 to ferry people across the sea to Europe, with Italy, Greece and Malta as the preferred destination or launch pad to mainland Europe.
The trip itself is nothing to write home about. People are smuggled in boats that are nowhere near seaworthiness, packed like sardines in conditions reminiscent of the trans-Atlantic slave trade journeys of centuries ago. While making the trip earlier this month, some Nigerian and Ghanaian Christians died when they were thrown overboard by some Muslim immigrants for allegedly praying the Christian way.
Until last week, only the Italian and Maltese governments had been shouldering the responsibility of rescuing these desperate drowning migrants. This is proving too heavy a burden to bear, especially with the economic crisis currently faced by Italy. A flurry of activities by the hitherto aloof and distant members of the European Union is however raising hopes that fewer immigrants will be allowed to perish in the sea as they embark on the perilous journey from Africa to Europe. French President, Francoise Hollande; Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi; and his Maltese counterpart, Joseph Muscat; have added their voices to the rallying call to action over what Antonio Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, described as “the greatest humanitarian disaster since World War ll.”
At its emergency meeting in Luxemburg last week, the European Union decided, among other things, that annual funding for search and rescue be trebled to €120 million, as well as tackle human trafficking problems in sub-Saharan Africa. The union is also planning a project that would see to the spread of migrants more broadly across the EU countries, in addition to pledging aircraft and boats to help in the rescue of immigrants. Britain in particular promised to make available the Royal Navy flagship, HMS Bulwark, two other ships and three helicopters.
But beyond the efforts of the EU, other regional and global groups should assist in ending the human calamity. Some of the countries from which these migrants are fleeing to Europe also have a duty to educate their citizens about the dangers in undertaking such journeys through such dangerous routes. The governments, including the Nigerian government, must sit up and make job creation a priority so that many youths who are currently contemplating the suicidal journey through the desert and the Mediterranean would be dissuaded from doing so. Also, those boat owners who risk people’s lives by embarking on such risky journeys should not be allowed to go scot-free: they should be made to face the law.
