Migrant Crisis Continues: 34 Bodies Washed Ashore in Western Libya

The bodies of 34 illegal migrants who drowned while trying to reach Europe have been recovered from the coast of western Libya in five days, the Libyan Red Crescent (LRC) said on Monday.

The latest incident occurred near Sabratha, west of the capital, Tripoli. This is the second consecutive day that the LRC has reported the discovery of bodies. The LRC reported six bodies on Wednesday, 17 on Sunday, and 11 on Monday.

According to a security source in Sabratha, an inflatable boat carrying dozens of migrants flipped over not far from the coast of Sabratha on Wednesday, estimating that “the number of casualties could increase.” However, no call for help was made, and the chances of survival are slim.

The NGO Alarm Phone, which runs a hotline for migrants in distress, claimed on Wednesday to have received a distress call from migrants on board an inflatable boat that was sinking off the coast of Libya with about 100 passengers on board. The NGO had tried to contact the Libyan coast guard but to no avail.

The fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011 has made Libya a preferred route for tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Arab countries, and South Asia, seeking to reach Europe via the Italian coast.

Libya is regularly criticized by NGOs for the mistreatment of migrants. Clandestine crossing attempts, often deadly, are also increasing from neighboring Tunisia.

On Monday, the Tunisian coast guard announced that it had found 31 bodies of sub-Saharan migrants “decomposing and washed up on the shore.”

In recent weeks, dozens of migrants were missing after their boats sank off the coast of Tunisia. The authorities also announced on Monday that five migrants from sub-Saharan Africa had drowned in two separate shipwrecks off Tunisia in recent hours.

The Mediterranean has long been a perilous route for migrants attempting to reach Europe. Every year, thousands of people die trying to make the journey, with smugglers and traffickers often taking advantage of their desperation.

The international community must do more to address the root causes of migration, including poverty, conflict, and political instability, to prevent more tragedies like this from happening in the future.

In conclusion, the discovery of 34 bodies of illegal migrants in western Libya is yet another reminder of the dangers and challenges faced by migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

The international community must work together to address the root causes of migration and provide more support and protection to those who are forced to flee their homes.