EU returns to sea to save migrant lives after recent deaths in the Mediterranean. Is it the right message for migrants waiting in North Africa? More than 6,000 people, an estimated 1,500 of them children, have crossed into Spain’s northern African enclave of Ceuta since Monday. Spain finally deployed its military to the Moroccan border. In Brussels Commissioner Johansson EU debates with MEPs the recent deaths in the Mediterranean and search and rescue at sea.
Every year, thousands of people flee violence, insecurity, and persecution. They attempt a treacherous journey via North Africa and Turkey, in an attempt to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. And every year, countless lives are lost on these journeys. An estimated 2,133 people have drowned while attempting to cross from Libya to Europe by sea in 2018.
Even when there are no rescue boats at sea, people still risk their lives by trying to cross the Central Mediterranean in flimsy rubber and wooden dinghies. For many, this deadly crossing is the last resort. A lack of search and rescue capacity only serves to make the risks they endure more extreme. The number of people attempting to escape mostly from Libyan and Tunisian shores by sea in the first four months of 2021 has tripled in comparison to the same period last year, as the number of deaths and missing persons.
| Year | Number of deaths |
|---|---|
| 2021* | 500 |
| 2020 | 1,417 |
| 2019 | 1,885 |
| 2018 | 2,299 |
As of 13 May 2021, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is chartering its own ship, Geo Barents, to save lives and provide emergency medical care to people rescued on the Central Mediterranean. This is the seventh consecutive year MSF teams have been compelled to launch search and rescue activities due to EU states abdicating their responsibility to provide proactive search and rescue in the central Mediterranean.
About 6,000 migrants managed to cross from Morocco to the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta by Tuesday. Many of them swam or used rubber dinghies. One young man drowned as he tried to reach the enclave. Thousands of migrants, many of them minors, have swum or sailed around the EU’s land border with Africa. Some believe Morocco deliberately hobbled its border control measures.
The arrivals were checked by the Red Cross and taken to a migrant reception center. The Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are Africa’s only land border with the European Union, making it a target for people seeking to migrate to Europe. Only 475 migrants had crossed into Ceuta between January 1 and May 15 this year.
Spain deployed its military to the Moroccan border on Tuesday after the group crossed over. Several military armored vehicles parked on Tuesday at Tarajal beach in Ceuta, where the border fence leads to a short breakwater extending into the sea.
“It’s such a strong invasion that we are not able to calculate the number of people that have entered,” said the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas. “The army is in the border in a deterrent role, but there are great quantities of people on the Moroccan side waiting to enter.”
The EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, urged Morocco to “prevent irregular departures” of migrants. Johansson, speaking to the European Parliament, called the migrant arrivals to Ceuta “unprecedented” and “worrying,” and noted “a very substantial number of them [are] children.”
Before I finish, let me conclude on the unprecedented irregular arrivals to the city of Ceuta from Morocco since yesterday, which continue as we speak. It is worrying that at least 6,000 people, a big number of them children, have been swimming to Ceuta. Putting their life in danger. Many had to be rescued. One person died.
The most important thing now is that Morocco continues to commit to prevent irregular departures and that those that do not have the right to stay are orderly and effectively returned. Spanish borders are European borders. The European Union wants to build a relationship with Morocco, based on trust and shared commitments. Migration is a key element in this regard.
I am following this very closely together with the High Representative / Vice President Borrell, Commissioner Várhelyi and of course with the Spanish authorities.
While total arrivals to Europe have been decreasing since 2015, the latest disembarkations bring the number of sea arrivals to Italy in 2021 to over 10,400. This is more than a 170 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2020. UNHCR is also deeply concerned about the death toll: so far in 2021 at least 500 persons are known to have lost their life trying to make the dangerous sea crossing along the Central Mediterranean route, compared to 150 in the same period in 2020, an increase of more than 200 per cent. This tragic loss of life underscores once again the need to reestablish a system for search and rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean coordinated by States.
UNHCR commends Italy for keeping its ports open during the pandemic. Solidarity from other EU member states however is urgently needed, as the deteriorating situation in Libya will continue to force people to resort to desperate measures to seek safety. UNHCR is working with partners and the government of Italy at disembarkation points to support the identification of vulnerabilities among those who have arrived and to support the reception system for asylum-seekers. This is a key priority as far too many of those attempting to reach Europe have endured unspeakable violence and abuse along their journey. Testimonies we gathered in the past few days, including from children, speak of imprisonment and brutalities inflicted with no respect for human life, while survivors often show severe mental health problems as a result of the traumas they have faced.
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This is my opinion.. If the EU return to the rescue and search operation at the Mediterranean, the human traficers acknowledge the EU certainly try to rescue the illegal migrant. Because of this fact, the illegal immigrants from the all over the Africa attempt to cross the sea or the human trafficers send thousands of illegal migrants to Europe. It never stop, keep comming to Europe as long as the African countries are socially unstable or perverty. Regardless numbers they can try to cross at the sea, the EU ships have to carry on seacueing and searchinmg the dingy at the sea. The EU has to spend million of Euro on this search and rescue mission. If the EU keep taking in the illegal migrants in their boarder in the name of "humanity", This "humanity" will callaps when the EU no longer cope with the crices. At this moment in the future, all over the countries will criticise the EU towards a luck of "humanity". At this stage, "humanity" and "human right" no longer exist. The EU gives too much self awareness as a rich country and humaniterian country. This awareness leads to he/she save everybody who reached its boarder. As long as a rich country the humaniterian conscious can activate, but in the poor country with food cricis, nobody help the woman fell down on the busy street. All people just passed by this woman. There is no humanity concious at all. This kind of incident offen can be seen in some Africa. Do you condemn these people or may a whole country as a violation of "human right" ? What would you say, if the woman says she has a human right to be rescued.
Every day, a thousands of people killed in traffic accidents. This is a life. It is very sad we cannot save all illegal imigration who they try to cross the sea, but it is a reality. The EU's search and rescue operation is like putting unnecessary burden or task on your shoulder.
Conclusion :
If the EU wants to stop a mass illegal migration or a small illegal migration, then he/she should send a message to the human trafficers and illegal migrants that the EU refuse to take them in any more, the border is completely closed. No rescue services are available.
If this information is clear to the human trafficers and economic migrants, i belive they will stop because if the future is clear to him/her, he/she will have a second thought. Give them an impression of no hope or a shadow of the death. I am sure if your future is like that you will give up. They are communicating all illegal migreants with using mobile-phones. They watch all news and happenings in Erope, like which contry is easay to go in, which country is great to the humaniterian services, which country is providing better social services. This include the success story of the illegal migrants in Europe which it attracts more illegal migrants comming from Africa. If they think the EU has no hope only misery, then they wil have a second thought. You shouldnot give them a hope.
In order to achieve this, give them a fake news to destroy their expectation from Europe. They are the computer age people. If they use a computer, the EU can stand with a fake news.
I am sure it is easy to control by the selected secret agents among the Eurpian nations.
You are right. We need to accept reality!