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Libya in crisis over illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa (13 May 2014)

Date: 13/05/2014
Duncan Lewis, Immigration Solicitors, Libya in crisis over illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa

The Libyan government has criticised EU countries for not doing more to help with the refugee crisis Libya is facing.

Libya says it is struggling to cope with the number of sub-Saharan African refugees arriving there, and has called for more aid from Europe – or it will begin to assist refugees in their attempts to reach Europe.

The call for help follows another incident in which a boat carrying an estimated 400 refugees from sub-Saharan Africa sank off the coast of the Italian island Lampedusa.

The boat was 50 miles north of Libya when it sank – last year 300 refugees perished in a similar incident off the coast of Lampedusa.

The Libyan government says its immigration centre at Zawiya – west of the Libyan capital Tripoli – is overstretched with immigrants trying to reach EU shores, now including another 340 men, women and children rescued by Libya’s navy when their boat began to sink. A total of 15 bodies have been recovered and 100 people are thought to be missing.

The Daily Mail reports that Libya's interim interior minister Salah Mazek says that his country is unable to cope with the number of illegal migrants passing through trying to reach Europe – and if the EU does not help, Libya will “facilitate” their passage to Europe.

Mr Mazek says that it is now “Europe’s turn to pay the price” – and it is estimated that 800,000 Africans are currently waiting on Libya’s shores to make the crossing to Europe by boat.

He added that Libya was suffering as a result of the crisis.

“I’m warning the world and Europe in particular – if they do not assume their responsibilities, Libya could facilitate the transit of this flood of immigrants towards Europe.”

As many as 25,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa managed to make the journey to Italy’s shores in the first four months of 2014 – 10 times the figure for 2013.

The British authorities say that one in five illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa settles in the UK and most head for countries in northern Europe.

In 2012, the European Commission proposed using drones to scan the Mediterranean for illegal migrants heading for Europe.

Italy has been asking for help from the EU to tackle the number of migrants heading for Mediterranean countries since November 2009, when Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told a conference in Venice that more resources were needed to tackle migratory pressure “at its root” – and help EU “transit” countries manage the influx of African migrants entering Europe through Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Spain, Malta and Turkey.

In the UK, the Border Agency has recently introduced trafficking teams at major ports of entry such as Heathrow and Gatwick airports, to detect passengers – including children – who have been trafficked into the UK, before they end up working in Britain’s sex trade, drugs industry or as modern-day slaves in businesses or homes.

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