It is estimated that twice as many people die on these land routes as on the central Mediterranean sea route, where almost 800 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the year.
The United Nations (UN) warned on Friday that the routes that take migrants from the Sahara to the Mediterranean coasts of North Africa are more dangerous, with a greater risk of kidnapping, physical and sexual violence and death.
A new report, entitled “On this journey we don’t care whether you live or die”, estimates that “twice as many people die” on these land routes than on the central Mediterranean sea route leading to Europe, where almost 800 deaths have already been recorded since the beginning of the year.
Even acknowledging the limits of statistics on land routes, lack of sufficient data results in thousands of deaths each year, he says.
“Everyone who has crossed the Sahara will tell what they saw: corpses, abandoned bodies” in the desert, explains Vincent Cochetel, special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the western and central Mediterranean, during a press conference in Geneva.
In the absence of adequate support structures and a genuine system of research and assistance, These immigrants are usually sentenced to death.says the UN document.
More than 8,500 migrants dead, making 2023 the deadliest year in the last decade
This new report, based on interviews with more than 30,000 migrants or refugees transported between 2020 and 2023, was jointly prepared by UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Joint Migration Centre to provide more effective assistance, but also better inform political leaders and find appropriate responses to this phenomenon.
Despite the dangers, more and more people are fleeing, partly due to “the deteriorating situation in countries of origin and host countries, in particular the New conflicts erupt in the Sahel and Sudanthe devastating impact of climate change and new and enduring emergencies in the East and the Horn of Africa,” said a UN press release.
Other reasons for leaving include “racism and xenophobia affecting refugees and migrants,” he says.
Again, precise statistics are lacking, but UNHCR data shows, for example, that The number of arrivals in Tunisia tripled between 2020 and 2023.
“It is not about encouraging people to undertake this dangerous journey, but about finding protective solutions to deal with the abuses and violations of which they are victims,” said Vincent Cochetel.
The UNHCR official recalled that the vast majority of these migrants and refugees have no intention of going to Europe.
For ethical reasons, survey questions focused on risk perception rather than actual experience.
The main risk cited by 38% of people interviewed for this report is related to physical violence. The risk of dying is mentioned by 14% and sexual violence is mentioned by 15% of those interviewed.
Cochetel also mentioned that kidnappings are mentioned by 18% of those interviewed.
The official also estimates that the number of victims of organ trafficking is in the hundreds. Some people, for example, sell a kidney to survive, but others are simply victims of theft.
“Most of the time people are drugged, their organs are removed without their consent and they wake up with one less kidney,” said Cochetel, recalling that this was an old and well-known practice.
In some countries there is even advertising to encourage the sale of organs, he points out.
Source: Observadora
