Ending the Mediterranean Boat Tragedy
No day passes now without the sad news of African migrants drowning in the Mediterranean while trying to cross to Europe in search of elusive fortunes. The growing number of young people risking their lives sailing on unseaworthy vessels to Europe is one of the most harrowing recent tragedies of Africa.
Definitely, the scale of this ongoing tragedy has not only shocked the world, it is assuming a disaster of epic proportion. Three days ago, a crowded fishing boat with 700 persons capsized north of Libya with only a few dozen rescued, making it the highest death toll in modern times among migrants.
Last week, more than 400 migrants were reported drowned in a boat while attempting to reach Italy from Libya. Official figures show that, as many as 1,800 migrants have so far died trying to cross the Mediterranean since the start of this year. It is a pity that despite such tragic accidents, many more are still determined to make the journey. This is an indictment of the leadership of the countries from which these throngs of people come. It is the best manifestation of the hopelessness of youth in Africa. It is unfortunate that many Africans are willing to risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean than engage in other meaningful pursuits in their home countries.
Reasons for these exoduses stem from war, poverty and persecution across the continent, even as there is likelihood the growing humanitarian crisis will worsen this spring as the weather improves. Sadly, the chaos and violence in Libya where rival militias, tribal factions and other political forces are fighting each other has turned the country into a beachhead for human traffickers. Shamefully, African countries are sitting on their hands and refusing to lead the fight against this ignoble flow of human cargoes across the Mediterranean.
Rather, they have abdicated this responsibility to Europe and other international humanitarian agencies. That should not be. It is therefore time the African Union (AU) and other stakeholders confront this malady head-on. Individual states should be made to arrest and punish traffickers that lure migrants with the promise of easy passage to Europe.
They should do this in tandem with European leaders through information sharing on the movement of migrants from Africa. On its part, Europe must take robust steps in stemming the tide of these human cargoes by interdicting and arresting migrant boats and their occupants wherever found in the Mediterranean. Moreover, Italy and other European governments must end the offer of temporary asylums to migrants who should immediately be deported to their home countries. We believe the offer of asylums is responsible for the desperation and risk averseness of these migrants. In all, African governments must identify why their citizens are leaving the continent in droves rather that become partners in development. We believe the suicidal attempts to reach Europe can only be reversed by investing substantially in job creation and equipping young people with skills to enable them to earn a decent living at home.
