Illegal immigration, the perpetual crisis
The reactionary wave against illegal immigration in Europe is based more on protecting its borders under the premise of "defending the Old Continent from the entry of traffickers and terrorists" than on trying to save the lives of thousands of souls who are only seeking wellbeing. Subject to the mantra of demographic weight, Western policies have been more than a decade of legislative failures and red tape that have failed to realise either the wills of those affected or the desires of the proponents.
Local migration has always been a part of Africa, whether from rural to urban, from one state to another or from one region to another. This migration has shaped the continent's cities and landscapes, and altered its societies.
The false narrative of insecurity falls apart. Only 8.4% of African and Eastern migration crosses European borders, either by land or sea.
While health is one of the reasons for migration, it can also deteriorate, so how and why do people migrate to and from Africa? What benefits does migration, whether it occurs on the African continent or elsewhere, bring to the receiving nations? Questions that no one in Brussels is asking, and no one is answering.
Failed policies
The European Union (EU) and its member states are intensifying their efforts to create an efficient, compassionate and secure European migration policy. Setting strategic priorities is a key responsibility of the European Council in this work. The EU Council sets strategies and mandates for negotiations with nations outside the Union on the basis of these priorities. It also passes laws and sets particular programmes. The Council and the European Council have come together in recent years to forge a robust response to immigration pressure.
"The new Migration Pact is proof that more and more people are trying to build walls and reinforce fences," Evgenia Thanou, director general of Doctors of the World Greece.
According to Frederico Soda, director of emergency management at the UN's International Organization for Migration, "it is obvious that the current approach in the Mediterranean is not viable, and countries must come together and address the gaps in search and rescue operations, rapid evacuations and safe regular routes". EU member states must work together more closely, show solidarity and share responsibility for addressing the crisis, according to Gillian Triggs, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
If some 800 people are confirmed dead, the sinking of the fishing boat off the coast of Greece will be one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent years. The EU has been taking steps to improve its control of external borders and migration flows since the migration crisis peaked in 2015, when it was at its worst.
In the wake of the shipwreck, Eric Mamer, spokesman for the European Commission, acknowledged that migration management is ineffective and that EU institutions must "agree on a comprehensive and coherent approach". He argued, before conceding that so far they have failed: "Have we succeeded yet? Of course we have not. We must work with Member States to make sure we have the most effective operations and operational measures possible. We continue the work as it should be done".
Human populations have relocated to areas with more resources (real or symbolic), as the history of the species demonstrates. The structures of the global economy have produced massive areas of depraved poverty in Africa. The rest of the world cannot continue to act as if this is not a problem. The root causes of injustice, poverty and violence must be addressed, starting with Europe.
Migratory flows
Migration is already a common demographic process that affects all geographical areas of the planet, any historical period, the human being itself since its beginnings, and yet in the last 15 years, the number of migrants has steadily increased and become more noticeable. On the other hand, aspects of the migration project have also been changing to adapt to a new and ever-changing environment.
Progressive globalisation is not the only factor contributing to the increase in migration around the world and the interconnectedness of the various geographical areas of the world; it is a dynamic that reacts to a number of factors. Causes include war, violence, inequality or poverty, among other things that motivate people to leave their country of origin and seek a new life. There are 740 million international migrants in the world and 232 million internal migrants, according to the IOM (International Organization for Migration).
To reach Europe, the flow of migrants over time has shaped different routes: the West African route, the Western Mediterranean route, the Central Mediterranean route (the deadliest of all), the Eastern Mediterranean route, the Western Balkan route, the circular route of Albania and Greece and the Eastern European route (booming due to the war in Russia and Ukraine).
While migration crises are timeless, the instability of the southern regions of the 'Mare Nostrum' in recent decades has pushed millions of families to leave their homes. On the central Mediterranean route alone there have been 6,779 illegal immigrants in 2023, according to studies by Frontex; 1,799 via the easternmost route; and 587 across the borders separating the Iberian peninsula from North Africa.
Turkey, Greece, Ukraine and Europe's hypocrisy
Like pawns in a chess game, Syrian refugees have for years been the European Union's bargaining chip in its pursuit of interests vis-à-vis Turkey. Defenestrated by northern Europe, Greece selflessly served as the EU's shield. Meanwhile, Brussels' double standards were on display. While some described the arrival of Syrian refugees as the end of Western culture and society, they were the same people who advocated the values of the "Welcome Refugees" slogan.
While in Europe - 751 million inhabitants - they were tearing their hair out to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees (0.7% of the total); in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt - 243 million inhabitants - more than 6 million refugees were sheltered, which meant 48% of the total; a fact that exposed the lack of policies of European leaders. Not allowing the refugees in, while complaining about the misery they suffered in the camps where they were relocated, is just further evidence of Western hypocrisy, which reached its peak with the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia's pressure on the Dombash region led to what became known as "the largest refugee wave since the Second World War".
Vladimir Putin's problematic approach to Europe was not only a blow to NATO and global stability, but also a blow to the morale of Western leaders. While for more than a decade member states refused entry to Syrian (and African) refugees, Putin in one move checkmated European diplomacy. He was forcing European governments to take in more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees. In this way, the Russian president committed Europe to the Arab world and, above all, to Erdogan's Turkey, which is proving to be a key player in geopolitics and the global situation.
Europe is aware of these tragedies because it has experienced them directly or indirectly throughout its history. Moreover, due to a discourse that portrays Ukrainians as "different and vulnerable" people with a European affinity bias, the emergency brings back the worst cases of discrimination; a worrying double standard is hidden, which provides answers as to why thousands of Africans and Asians who still flee their homes for their lives are relegated to the background in the narrative that some Western media and politicians have constructed about the tragedy to elicit sympathy for the Ukrainian victims.
From Aylan's death to the Greek tragedy
The cruelty of immigration is increasing. If before the canon of immigration according to the United Nations was the middle-aged male in his 20s and 30s travelling alone, now the reality is totally different. As stated by ABC's Middle East expert and Israel correspondent Mikel Ayestarán, families are leaving and travelling to their fate in the hope that their children can cross the border without knowing if they will ever see them again.
The image of the 3-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, whose body washed up on a Turkish beach after a failed attempt to reach Greece, inspired millions of people around the world and once again drew attention to the human tragedies of those fleeing for their lives trying at all costs to reach the shores of Europe.
To address the refugee and migrant crisis currently facing Europe, High Commissioner António Guterres outlined a number of fundamental principles that should guide and support all efforts in this direction. More than 300,000 people had already risked their lives to travel to Europe when Aylan's body washed ashore. More than 2,600 people had perished in the attempt in 2015 alone; by 2023 that number had risen to 2,400.
Adding to the shock and outrage were subsequent responses from EU governments, for whom the 700 dead have a very different meaning because they are African migrants trying to illegally enter European territory near the Italian island of Lampedusa. The Italian Prime Minister's comments that the tragedy was caused by people smugglers, in particular, seem incomprehensible, bordering on the offensive.
One has to be naïve to think that cracking down on traffickers ends the scandalous reality that thousands, millions of people are willing to risk their lives to reach a place that supposedly guarantees them at least a life of dignity. Human trafficking is a heinous crime, but you have to believe that this is the problem.
There is at least a glimmer of hope in the comments of Federica Mogherini, an Italian who serves as EU Foreign Minister: "This new tragedy is already too much. The European Union and its member states are no longer entitled to an explanation".
Maybe one day we will realise that being an African or an immigrant does not strip one of one's inherent humanity or dignity. I hope we can start by taking care of our own migrants.