Migrant deaths highest since 2017 and MENA deadliest, says body which tracks migration

The number of refugees and migrants who died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in the first half of 2023 was at the highest level since 2017, according to the latest data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Deaths on the migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2022 also recorded the highest number since 2017.

According to IOM figures, at least 1,874 people died or went missing in the first six months of 2023 in the Mediterranean Sea. In the same period in 2022, the number was 1,108. In 2017, at least 2,278 migrants drowned on the three Mediterranean sea routes, compared to 2,946 in 2016, according to the data.

In total, at least 27,633 people have died on the Mediterranean sea routes since 2014. The agency stressed that the actual numbers are probably higher as most often many people remain missing and the exact figures cannot be ascertained due to lack of records.

On sea routes from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to Europe in 2022, an increasing number of deadly incidents took place after boats departed from Lebanon, destined for Greece and Italy. At least 174 deaths were recorded following these attempts, constituting nearly half of the overall death toll on the Eastern Mediterranean route last year. As many as 84 per cent of those who perished along sea routes remain unidentified, leaving desperate families in search of answers.

Scarcity of data

The worst tragedy so far in 2023 in the Mediterranean Sea was the sinking of a boat off the southern coast of Greece in May. Hundreds of people are believed to have died then, although the exact number is not known.

The scarcity of official data and limited access to land routes for civil society and international organisations suggests that the actual number of deaths on migratory routes is likely much higher than reported.

Deaths on migration routes in MENA

The newly released data from the IOM Missing Migrants Project (MMP) recorded nearly 3,800 deaths on migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in 2022. It is the highest since 2017 when 4,255 deaths were recorded. The 3,789 deaths recorded in 2022 was 11 per cent higher than 2021.

The MENA region accounted for more than half of the total 6,877 deaths recorded worldwide by the MMP, according to the new report. On North African land routes, particularly during the Sahara Desert crossing, 203 deaths were recorded, while an additional 825 deaths occurred on Middle Eastern land routes. Libya registered the highest number of deaths on land routes in North Africa, with 117 fatalities, followed by Algeria (54), Morocco (13), Tunisia (10), and Egypt (9), the report said.

Koko Warner, Director of the Global Data Institute hosting the MMP said, “Our data shows that 92 per cent of people dying on this route remain unidentified.” She also said that the tragic loss of life on dangerous migration routes highlights the importance of data and analysis in driving action.

Most deaths on land routes in the region in 2022 occurred in Yemen, where targeted violence against migrants has intensified. Of the 867 deaths recorded on the Horn of Africa-Yemen crossing, at least 795 people, believed to be mostly Ethiopians, lost their lives on the route between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, predominantly in Yemen's Sa’dah governorate at the northern border.

Othman Belbeisi, the MENA Regional Director at IOM said, “This alarming death toll on migration routes within and from the MENA region demands immediate attention and concerted efforts to enhance the safety and protection of migrants.” IOM urged for an increased international and regional cooperation as well as resources to address this humanitarian crisis and prevent further loss of lives, in line with Objective 8 of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).