22 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) said on Tuesday (July 5).
The migrants were embarked on a rubber dinghy in the Libyan city of Zouara near the Tunisian border on June 22, IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli said. “The total number of survivors is 61, most of whom are from Mali,” she added.
The spokesman added that some migrants are in very poor health and have therefore been taken to hospitals by IOM. “The remaining migrants were taken to Al-Maya prison,” she said.
The Ministry of Malians Residing Abroad issued an appeal “to all our people to fight against irregular migration” in a press release published on Tuesday.
Libya, a key passage to reach Europe
Libya has become a major route for illegal migration to Europe in the chaotic years after the 2011 ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed insurgency. While many migrants drowned at sea, thousands more were intercepted and brought back to Libya by the Libyan Coast Guard, with help from Italy and the EU.
The flow of migrants via Niger and Mali to North Africa “significantly increased” in the first quarter of 2022 compared to previous years, said an IOM spokesman. Analysts believe the impact of the Covid pandemic and the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine were key factors.
Also Read: UN Says More Than 3,000 Migrants Died At Sea In 2021 Trying To Reach Europe