“The death of twenty people in the Libyan desert yesterday is yet another wake-up call for the entire international community and a reminder that we are far from achieving our goal of ‘leaving no one behind. ‘, the spell of Agenda 2030“Federico Soda, Head of the International Organization for Migration said (IOM) Mission in Libya.
‘Unacceptable and avoidable’
On June 28, the bodies of 18 people believed to be Chadians and two Libyans, were said to have been recovered near the border area between the two countries.
According to the Libyan Emergency and Emergency Service, it is believed that they all died from dehydration.
“The loss of life that we are seeing both in the Mediterranean Sea and the deserts of southern Libya is unacceptable and avoidable,” said Soda.
Deadly travel
The Sahara Desert is one of the most dangerous and deadly migration routes in the world.
According to IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, more than 2,000 migration deaths have been recorded since 2014 in the Sahara Desert alone, but experts believe the number is higher.
“This tragedy must be a call to action to provide minimum standards of protection for migrantsenable search and rescue operations, strengthen humanitarian border management and provide urgently needed assistance in this extremely remote area,” said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, IOM Chad Delegation Head .
Death related to gold mining
Since gold mining increased in northern Chad in 2012, the Chad-Libya border region has seen an increase in cases involving migrants being trafficked by traffickers and traffickers. abandoned smugglers or lost carriers.
And last month, clashes between gold miners in the town of Kouri Bougoudi, close to the border with Libya, left hundreds dead and about 10,000 miners displaced in northern Chad.
“In the absence of safe migration routes, migrants travel dangerous roads, fall into the hands of traffickers, or get lost in the desert — with often devastating consequences,” said Ms. Schaefer.
Call for protection
Between January and March, more than 45,000 migrants were recorded at the Faya, Zouarké and Ounianga Kébir “Flow Monitoring Points” in North Chad.
Of the migrants surveyed by the IOM during that period, 32% headed to Libya – despite the lack of basic prerequisites for their safety and protection.
IOM renews its call to protect migrants and their rights through dedicated search and rescue efforts, and investigating and prosecuting smugglers and traffickers who take advantage of people’s desperation and vulnerability.
