Migrant ships and Merchant ships

Bob Marley and the Burden of Foreboding

About 136 African migrants heading to Europe through irregular routes were rescued from a boat on August 26, near the Canary Island of El Hierro in Spain.

Rescued migrants as these are rare.

Last month, 89 migrants died at sea with dozens still missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania en route to Europe.

“In the first five months of 2024, an irregular migrant died every 45 minutes, amounting to 32 deaths per day, in the Atlantic Ocean between North Africa and the Canary Islands,” the Turkish News Agency Anadolu Ajansı estimated.

Like the mental slaves in Bob Marley’s merchant ships, these migrants are seized first by desperation, then shackled by despair as they embark on their boat of fate to some occidental paradise or the ocean’s bottomless pit.

They drowned long before they dared the cold rage of the sea in makeshift migrant ships.

Migrant Ships

They leave their home countries fleeing crises, conflict, violence, persecution, state insecurity, extreme poverty, homelessness, and hopelessness. 

The few that survive the roads less travelled and arrive in Europe face an unending cycle of dangers, such as the risk of detention, financial loss, violence, illness, and death on the other side of the waters. 

While at it, some risk becoming victims of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. And as they try to settle and rebuild their lives, many encounter daily racism, xenophobia, and discrimination.

The question is: Are the factors that typically drive people to flee their home countries more perilous than the risks involved in crossing over to Europe?

According to Amnesty International, not everyone who leaves their country is fleeing from danger. Some may believe they have better chances of finding jobs abroad, particularly if they have the education or resources to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

The International Migration Organisation defines irregular migration as the movement of persons that takes place outside the laws, regulations, or international agreements governing the entry into or exit from the State of origin, transit, or destination. 

Categories of migrants who might resort to irregular migration routes include asylum seekers, trafficking victims, and minor migrants.

Over 2,075 irregular migrants headed to Europe through the Mediterranean, Western African Atlantic, and the Western Balkan routes, have been reported dead or missing between January and August 27, 2024.

Despite a decrease in deaths and missing migrants en route to Europe over the past 9 years, the journeys remain highly dangerous, especially for those crossing by sea.

The decline in the number of dead and missing migrants coincides with the decline in arrivals of irregular migrants to Europe both by sea and land crossings. The number of migrants who arrived in Europe between 2016 and August 27, 2024, declined by 71%.

The overall reduction in the number of arrivals, deaths, and missing irregular migrants to Europe could be attributed to stricter border controls implemented by European countries.

According to a report by the European Parliament: “To counter irregular migration, the EU has strengthened border controls, improved the management of new arrivals and made returns of irregular migrants more efficient. It has also bolstered legal labour migration and ensured that asylum applications can be dealt with more efficiently.”

The largest number of irregular immigrants arriving in Europe originated from Syria and Afghanistan, where severe and ongoing conflicts persist. Others are from countries in Africa and Asia.

In Africa, the proportion of irregular immigrants arriving in Europe from West and Central African countries has grown over the past seven years.

Migrants from West and Central Africa continue to favour Italy as a destination. Among the 105,935 nationals of West and Central African countries who arrived in Europe in 2023, 64% (or 67,890) of them went to Italy while others went to either Spain, Greece, Cyprus, or Malta.

The highest number of irregular migrants from West and Central Africa came from Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire.

In particular, the main destination countries for West and Central African nationals vary according to their nationality. Nationals of Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon, and The Gambia mainly prefer Italy as a destination. Nationals of Senegal continue to ply roads to Spain, and Nigerian migrants mainly travel to Cyprus or Malta.