Twenty-two Malian migrants, including three children, died of drowning and dehydration off the coast of Libya. They were part of a group of 83 migrants stranded on a ship in distress. After nine days at sea in a dinghy, 61 survivors were rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard and brought ashore on Saturday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Tuesday (July 5th).
The migrants had embarked in the Libyan town of Zouara, near the Tunisian border, on a dinghy on June 22, IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli said. “The total number of survivors is 61, the majority of whom are from Mali”she added.
The spokeswoman added that some migrants were in very poor health and were therefore taken to hospitals by IOM. “The remaining migrants were taken to Al-Maya detention center”she said.
Libya, a key passage to reach Europe
Libya has become a key route for illegal migration to Europe in the chaotic years following the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed uprising. While many migrants drowned at sea, thousands more were intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard, aided by Italy and the EU, and returned to Libya.
There was some “significant increases” migrant flows via Niger and Mali to North Africa in the first quarter of 2022 compared to previous years, an IOM spokesperson said. Analysts believe that the impact of the Covid pandemic and the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine were determining factors.