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MIGRATION: Tunis Meeting on Crisis

MIGRATION: Tunis Meeting on Crisis European and African Interior Ministers agree on a multi‐pronged approach.European and African ministers met in Tunisia about efforts to regulate the flow of refugees from Africa to Europe, primarily along the deadly central Mediterranean route originating in Libya.In a declaration on July 24th in Tunis, the ministers said they had agreed on a multi‐pronged approach to the crisis, including informing people about the risks of illegal migration and the possibility of voluntarily returning home, addressing why migrants leave home and beefing up actions against human traffickers.Taking part were Interior Ministers from Algeria, Austria, Chad, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Mali, Malta, Niger, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Estonia, which currently holds the European Union (EU) Council presidency.Through the first half of 2017, nearly 84,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea, 20% more than during the same period in 2016. Detention centres and temporary shelters that Italy has for migrants have reached their maximum capacity of 200,000 people, but there are many other migrants in the country working illegally.The Tunis meeting focused on Libya, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said, since 95% of the migrants crossing the sea to Europe set sail from Libya. The ongoing political upheaval there makes the problem worse, Collomb said, adding: “As long as a stable government is not in place, the control of this flux cannot be assured.”The EU has proposed training and financing to increase the capabilities of Libya's coast guards, and the previous week the bloc also approved new rules for refugee‐rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean. The vessels that charities operate to rescue refugees stranded on the open sea are now forbidden to coordinate their movements, either by phone or signal lights, with people‐smugglers who pick up would‐be migrants in Libya and sometimes leave them stranded at sea. The refugee‐rescue ships also are now required to stay out of Libyan territorial waters, where they previously have picked up asylum‐seekers close to shore. Any vessel that breaks the new rules risks being banned from Italian ports.Humanitarian ships now pick up more than a third of all migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, compared to one percent in 2014.Not all stranded migrants are rescued. More than 2,200 people have died in 2017 during unsuccessful attempts to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).In their final declaration in Tunis, the ministers agreed that their countries should try to address “the root causes of irregular migration” and “strengthen the exchange of strategic and operational information on criminal networks for trafficking in human beings.”The statement said public development aid was needed to fight the causes of migration and create more opportunities at home, as well as to help border authorities with training, equipment and infrastructure.“We have to stick together,’’ said Dimitris Avramopoulos, European commissioner for Migration. He insisted “Europe is not a fortress,’’ but added that legal migration procedures must be followed. (VOA News 24/7)Italian WarningItalian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni warned on July 21st that Rome would not accept either “lessons” or “threats” from neighbours on border security.“We are doing our duty and expect the whole of Europe to do the same,” Gentiloni said on July 21st in a clear reference to demands by some neighbours that Italy close its borders.Italy summoned Austria's ambassador on July 18th after Vienna threatened to send troops to the border, open as part of Europe's Schengen passport‐free zone, to stop migrants entering after the number crossing the Mediterranean topped 100,000 so far in 2017.Other EU states, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, have also expressed alarm at the continued arrivals. Italy has taken in some 85% of 2017's arrivals and has pleaded for help from other EU nations. But Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic have flatly refused to take part in a relocation scheme.Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz on July 20th urged Italy to stop migrants from reaching the mainland by halting ferry services from the islands where they first land, saying “rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe.” (AFP 22/7 2017) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

MIGRATION: Tunis Meeting on Crisis

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2017.07800.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

European and African Interior Ministers agree on a multi‐pronged approach.European and African ministers met in Tunisia about efforts to regulate the flow of refugees from Africa to Europe, primarily along the deadly central Mediterranean route originating in Libya.In a declaration on July 24th in Tunis, the ministers said they had agreed on a multi‐pronged approach to the crisis, including informing people about the risks of illegal migration and the possibility of voluntarily returning home, addressing why migrants leave home and beefing up actions against human traffickers.Taking part were Interior Ministers from Algeria, Austria, Chad, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Mali, Malta, Niger, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Estonia, which currently holds the European Union (EU) Council presidency.Through the first half of 2017, nearly 84,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea, 20% more than during the same period in 2016. Detention centres and temporary shelters that Italy has for migrants have reached their maximum capacity of 200,000 people, but there are many other migrants in the country working illegally.The Tunis meeting focused on Libya, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said, since 95% of the migrants crossing the sea to Europe set sail from Libya. The ongoing political upheaval there makes the problem worse, Collomb said, adding: “As long as a stable government is not in place, the control of this flux cannot be assured.”The EU has proposed training and financing to increase the capabilities of Libya's coast guards, and the previous week the bloc also approved new rules for refugee‐rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean. The vessels that charities operate to rescue refugees stranded on the open sea are now forbidden to coordinate their movements, either by phone or signal lights, with people‐smugglers who pick up would‐be migrants in Libya and sometimes leave them stranded at sea. The refugee‐rescue ships also are now required to stay out of Libyan territorial waters, where they previously have picked up asylum‐seekers close to shore. Any vessel that breaks the new rules risks being banned from Italian ports.Humanitarian ships now pick up more than a third of all migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy, compared to one percent in 2014.Not all stranded migrants are rescued. More than 2,200 people have died in 2017 during unsuccessful attempts to cross the Mediterranean, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).In their final declaration in Tunis, the ministers agreed that their countries should try to address “the root causes of irregular migration” and “strengthen the exchange of strategic and operational information on criminal networks for trafficking in human beings.”The statement said public development aid was needed to fight the causes of migration and create more opportunities at home, as well as to help border authorities with training, equipment and infrastructure.“We have to stick together,’’ said Dimitris Avramopoulos, European commissioner for Migration. He insisted “Europe is not a fortress,’’ but added that legal migration procedures must be followed. (VOA News 24/7)Italian WarningItalian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni warned on July 21st that Rome would not accept either “lessons” or “threats” from neighbours on border security.“We are doing our duty and expect the whole of Europe to do the same,” Gentiloni said on July 21st in a clear reference to demands by some neighbours that Italy close its borders.Italy summoned Austria's ambassador on July 18th after Vienna threatened to send troops to the border, open as part of Europe's Schengen passport‐free zone, to stop migrants entering after the number crossing the Mediterranean topped 100,000 so far in 2017.Other EU states, including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, have also expressed alarm at the continued arrivals. Italy has taken in some 85% of 2017's arrivals and has pleaded for help from other EU nations. But Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic have flatly refused to take part in a relocation scheme.Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz on July 20th urged Italy to stop migrants from reaching the mainland by halting ferry services from the islands where they first land, saying “rescue missions in the Mediterranean cannot be seen as a ticket to central Europe.” (AFP 22/7 2017)

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesWiley

Published: Aug 1, 2017

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