More than 100,000 migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean last year, said a UN body (Representation)
Geneva, Switzerland:
Around 100 migrants fleeing war-ravaged Libya have encountered difficulties in the Mediterranean and could drown, the UN said on Monday, calling for a quick rescue.
The onset of summer and more favorable conditions at sea tend to lead to an increase in attempts to cross the Mediterranean, and the deteriorating situation in Libya is also prompting more migrants to try their luck at sea and to join Europe.
The International Organization for Migration warned in a tweet that “around 95 migrants are still floating in the central Mediterranean at risk of drowning after trying to flee Libya.”
The United Nations agency did not provide further details, but stressed that “States and shipowners have a moral and legal obligation to respond to cases of distress at sea.”
More than 100,000 migrants attempted to cross the Mediterranean last year and more than 1,200 died in the attempt, according to IOM.
Tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia hoping to reach Europe, found themselves stranded in Libya in horrific conditions.
The overthrow and assassination of veteran dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising sparked years of chaos that traffickers exploited to make Libya a key route for illicit migration to Europe .
The situation for refugees and asylum seekers has become more critical after eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an assault on Tripoli in 2019, and was further worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Migrant departures from the Libyan coast increased by nearly 300% this year between January and the end of April, compared to the same period in 2019, according to the UN.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
