Rome, 26 June 2024 – The central Mediterranean continues to be the scene of human tragedies of unacceptable proportions. In the first six months of 2024, five migrants per day died or went missing along this dangerous route, according to data recently released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya. In total, there have been 860 victims since the beginning of the year, of which only 332 bodies have been recovered, while 528 people remain missing.
These numbers were shared by the IOM through a post on its social media channels, accompanying the denunciation of the same figures made a few days ago in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNICEF. The organizations expressed a “sense of deep frustration” in the face of shipwrecks that represent “a collective failure, a tangible sign of the inability of States to protect the most vulnerable people”.
In addition to the tragic loss of life, the IOM specified that, in the first six months of 2024, 8,754 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, including 285 minors. The organization also reported the discovery of twelve bodies in different areas of Libyan territory.
While the central Mediterranean continues to claim victims, on another route used by traffickers, that of the Aegean Sea which goes from Turkey to Italy, a group of 77 migrants was rescued in the last few hours. These migrants were on board a damaged yacht off the Greek islands of Amorgos and Astypalia and were taken to Naxos, in the Cyclades. In Spain, the authorities arrested around twenty people who arrived on a beach in Granada aboard a dinghy.
The joint declaration of the heads of government of Italy and Hungary, Giorgia Meloni and Viktor Orbán, who met in Rome, fits into this dramatic context. The two leaders expressed full agreement on the need to govern migratory flows. They underlined the importance of consolidating the new European approach developed in recent months, based on some fundamental pillars: the defense of external borders, the fight against traffickers and the commitment to building a new model of cooperation and partnership with the countries of origin of migrants.
This complex and painful situation highlights the need for concrete and coordinated actions at an international level to address the root causes of forced migration and to protect the lives of thousands of people in search of a better future. The challenge is enormous, but it cannot be ignored.
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