United Nations agency on refugees said that more than 2500 were dead and missing, while 186,000 crossed the Mediterranean in 2023. Most of these people are refugees who every year try to reach Europe for a better future including cyprus.
Ruven Menikdiwela, director of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR ) office in New York, told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday of these figures collected by it through various sources working at ground level in conflict zones.
Notably, as per data from UNHCR, of the 186,000 who successfully crossed the Mediterranean Sea –some 130,000 people preferred to reach Italy, and cyprus Greece, Spain, and Malta.
Moreover, as per the agency, the number of people who died or went missing during dangerous sea journeys has increased this year, i.e. 2023.
Ruven Menikdiwela said there is no end in sight to loss of life at sea crossing the journey to Europe, which is very dangerous.
UNHCR also told the United Nations Security Council that all route inlucding land route taken by illegal immigrants and refugees is also dangerous.
The land covers the journey from the sub-Saharan African countries to sea crossing with departure points on the Tunisian and Libyan. This land route remains the most dangerous land route in the world.
Ruven Menikdiwela added that lives lost on land are still away from the public’s attention.
More than 102,000 people attempted to cross the Mediterranean from Tunisia, which accounts for a 260 per cent increase from last year’s data.
UNHCR figure almost matches the data presented by Par Liljert, Director of the International Office for Migrations (IOM)
Tragedically, during the same period, IOM recorded 2778 deaths, with 2093 of them reported along the treacherous central Mediterranean route.
Recently IOM also demonstrates that from January to September 2023, more than 187,000 individuals crossed the Mediterranean safely for a better future and safety in European countries.
Although land or sea routes taken by people to reach European countries are extremely dangerous, the number of such illegal migrations are going high day by day.
Internal wars and ethnic divides between different countries and conflicting zones of many Middle east countries are the main reasons behind the current crises.