A shipwreck off the coast of Greece This can mean the inclusion of several Mediterranean routes. The Orientalwhere do we start Türkiyeis this central, which in turn divides into three more “streams”. According to the latest information, the latter was directly affected by the tragedy of the boat that sank off the coast pylos. In the coastal town in the Peloponnese, Greek authorities continue to be involved in search and rescue operations for migrants.
But it is the government of Athens itself that is warning of the seriousness of the tragedy. Up to 600 missing migrants could lie in the depths off Pylos. A more tragic number than expected. And that is reminiscent of the dynamics of one of the busiest central Mediterranean routes in recent months, namely the one operating in the Cyrenaica their ports of departure.
The dangers of the routes in the central Mediterranean
Frontex has also certified the big one in the last few hours soaring of landings along the Central Mediterranean route. The photo of the European border protection authority seems merciless. Compared to the first five months of 2022, the increase in landings between January and May 2023 was approximately 158%. Furthermore, according to Frontex, the central Mediterranean is the only route for migrants headed to the EU to grow up there. All others saw significant declines.
The real problem is that when we talk about the Central Mediterranean route, we mean at least three sub-routes. The Tunisian, the Tripolilan and the Cyrenaic. And that’s why there is the involvement of at least three international players. On the one hand the Tunisian government with its serious internal problems, both economic and social. President Kais Saied is waiting for the IMF to release the promised two billion dollars. Money that would at least enable Tunis to survive. However, the arrival of the amounts depends on reforms that Saied himself seems reluctant to implement. Hence the intensive diplomatic work of Italy, which is aware that leaving Tunisia in the conflict would have serious consequences for migration.
Then there are the two main Libyan players. Starting with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Ddeiba, who heads the government based in Tripoli. Of the Tripolitania Boats continued to depart, although there have been declines since May and, most notably, local government forces began taking action against the smugglers for the first time. Sometimes even the bombing of bases with drones.
However, the real heart of the matter surrounding the Pylos massacre has to do with General Khalifa Haftar. The sunken barge departed Tobruk, from the shores controlled by the strongman of Cyrenaica. Nobody sailed from here until last year. Then something changed. Dozens of fishing boats have been converted into ships traffickers to transport an average of 500 migrants to Italy per trip. The extent of the massacre off the coast of Greece proves it: When the Greek authorities speak of 600 missing people, it is certainly no coincidence, it is likely that the smugglers from Cyrenaica had no qualms about getting as many people as possible on board, and that worked well beyond ship capacity.
A political problem
Having to mediate between three different players, it is certainly not easy for Italy to cope with the increases recorded in the central Mediterranean. For this reason, Rome continues to ask for the support of theEU. A first step in this direction was taken on Sunday with Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Tunis, accompanied by the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen and by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. But while the situation in Tunisia is more manageable, it is different in Libya.
There are more actors here and the Libyan chaos makes everything much more unpredictable. As previously mentioned, Ddeibah forces have been using drones to attack the bases of some human traffickers in the west of the country in recent days. However, General Haftar, for his part, had begun pushing back the migrants. A boat had turned back in the last few days Benghazi, with the halt ordered by the LNA, i.e. the army led by the strongman of Cyrenaica. In addition, more migrants were pushed back towards the Egyptian border.
The massacre of Pylos therefore spread Surprise both the Greek and Italian authorities. In fact, it was assumed that the local forces in eastern Libya were now on the verge of initiating a U-turn in dealing with the migration flows. Something in Tobruk may therefore have escaped Haftar’s control. Or the general had another of his unpredictable second thoughts. Whichever way you look at it, it is clear that managing immigration from the Central Mediterranean is by no means easy. And this could lead to more deaths at sea.