Migrants Situation Update

22 April 2011

“So far, only about 2,800 out of a total of 500,000 people fleeing the violence in Libya have arrived in Europe. This is less than 0.6 percent of all cross-border movements. … The movement out of Libya is unrelated to the arrivals of some 20,000 mainly Tunisians on Lampedusa, which is part of the ‘normal’ boat migration by mainly North African young men in search of work.” – Hein de Haas

The Libyan crisis has served as a new occasion for antiimmigrant demagoguery in Europe (witness the recent FrenchItalian dispute over a train with Tunisian migrants trying to cross the border to France). But, notes migration specialist Hein de Haas in his blog, few migrants desperate to flee Libya are in fact not going to Europe but seeking to return to their home countries.

This AfricaFocus Bulletin has this short posting from http://heindehaas.blogspot.com, plus two recent updates from the International Organization for Migration (http://www.iom.int), which is the international agency trying to cope with helping migrants trying to escape the conflict in Libya. Although the IOM has recently been able to evacuate several thousand migrants from Misurata, and there is a regular flow across Libya’s land borders, the agency lacks sufficient funds to pay for the ongoing reception of new migrants.

As a reminder that the fundamental issues facing migrants in Europe and elsewhere are structural rather than primarily linked to crises such as the conflict in Libya, this Bulletin also includes the statement from September, 2010 of the Global Migration Group, focused on the human rights of migrants in irregular situations.

Another AfricaFocus Bulletin released today, available on the web at http://www.africafocus.org/docs11/migr1104b.php but not sent out by e-mail, contains excerpts from the 2009 Human Development Report on Human Mobility and Development. That report, which has received far less attention than it deserves, focuses on fundamental issues of development and migrants’ rights, proposing approaches that contrast strongly with the anti-immigrant hysteria which is on the rise in many migrant-destination countries.

For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on Libya, visit http://www.africafocus.org/country/libya.php

For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on migration issues, visit http://www.africafocus.org/migrexp.php

— Editor’s Note

Europe’s tiny refugee burden: Putting the Libyan migration crisis into perspective

http://heindehaas.blogspot.com http://tinyurl.com/4xtqoqt

Anybody believing that the Libyan crisis would create a “biblical exodus” towards Europe or the fear-mongering by Frontex and European politicians that up to 1.5 million migrants may soon arrive on European shores, should take a look at the chart below. [available at http://tinyurl.com/4xtqoqt]

And please have a look at this website – http://boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/faces_of_the_displaced.html It is a beautiful collection of pictures showing the human face of the Libyan crisis and the faces of the many poor people who kept the wheels of the Libyan economy turning over the past years – Most want to go home. How dare European politicians insinuate that these people will massively “invade” Europe?

Just some basic facts:

So far, only about 2,800 out of a total of 500,000 people fleeing the violence in Libya have arrived in Europe. This is less than 0.6 percent of all cross-border movements.

Egypt and Tunisia bear the real refugee burden – if that term is appropriate in the first place: about 88 percent of all people fleeing Libya arrive on their land borders.

The overwhelming majority are migrant workers from Egypt, Tunisia, sub-Saharan Africa, Bangladesh and elsewhere who want to go home – shattering the myth that the millions of foreigners in Libya would all be “transit migrants” on their way to Europe.

The movement out of Libya is unrelated to the arrivals of some 20,000 mainly Tunisians on Lampedusa, which is part of the “normal” boat migration by mainly North African young men in search of work.

A combination of favourable weather, decreased police controls and high unemployment among young Tunisian men as a consequence of the decrease in tourist arrivals partly explain the new departures from the Tunisian coast. See also this article in the Tunisian newspaper Le Temps (http://www.letemps.com.tn/article-53644.html).

This illegal boat migration has existed since the EU countries introduced visas for North Africans in the early 1990s, which interrupted seasonal and circular migration flows of Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian workers. This forced them to migrate illegally and pushed them into permanent settlement. A clear example of how immigration restrictions can have counter-productive effects.

This cross-Mediterranean migration happens every year, particularly in springtime. Total numbers amount to several tens of thousands per year, or about 2 percent of the annual of 1.5 – 1.8 million non-Europeans migrating to EU countries.

[However, migration] routes continuously change in response to shifts in border controls in a kind of cat and mouse game. A drop in one place generally leads to an increase at other crossing points, and the other way around.

In sum: there is no indication that there is a major increase in migration from Africa to Europe in response to the popular uprisings in North Africa and the Libyan crisis, let alone that Europe would be invaded by hordes of desperate African migrants.

This was a myth from the start, and the evidence only proves this. It is only sad to see the media and politicians perpetuate this “myth of invasion”.

IOM Response to the Libyan Crisis

External Situation Report | 19th April 2011

International Organization for Migration

[Text only. For pdfs of this and other reports, including maps and additional tables, visit http://www.migration-crisis.com/libya. or http://www.iom.int]

Overview

Highlights

As of 18 April, 550,680 migrants have fled violence in Libya. This figure includes 244,714 Third Country Nationals (TCNs). Migrants fleeing Libya entered Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Algeria, Chad, and Sudan. Some of them put their lives in great danger to reach the shores of Italy and Malta.

IOM and its partners have assisted 114,841 persons to return to their home country as of 18 April.

On 18 April, 5,390 people crossed the Libyan borders with Tunisia and Egypt.

As of 18 April, the total caseload in need of evacuation at the Libyan borders is estimated at 6,164 persons.

Thanks to recently confirmed donor support, IOM was able to rescue more than 2,000 people from Misrata. (Please see attached press briefing note – below)

Despite receiving funding for evacuations from Misrata, IOM has run out of funds to carry out its operations elsewhere in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Chad, and Niger, and continues to urgently seek further support to safely return migrants home.

Tunisia

Around 3,003 people crossed the border on 18 April until 23:59. This brings the cumulative total arrivals in Tunisia to 257,448 people.

As of 18 April, direct transportation assistance from Tunisia was provided to 88,195 persons by boat, charters and commercial flights since the beginning of the crisis, including to nationals from Egypt, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal and the Philippines.

On 18 April, IOM assisted the return of 179 Chadians and another 179 Malians. As of 18 April the caseload of migrants in need of evacuation assistance is 4,200 people.

Daily Figures – 18 April 2011 Arrivals: 3,003 IOM assisted returns: 358

Total Figures Total Arrivals: 257,448 Total assisted returns: 88,195

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