At least 41 migrants drowned in a fresh shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa. The Tuesday announcement underscores that 2023 remains a perilous year in the central Mediterranean, the perilous corridor linking Tunisia and Libya with Italy. SOS Mediterranée’s deputy director general, Fabienne Lassalle, described the year as catastrophically deadly, noting a sharp rise in fatalities and shipwrecks in the Mediterranean. She told France 2 that the central route has already seen alarming losses between January and early August, a situation that has intensified concern among rescuers and policymakers alike.
In less than eight months, the cumulative death toll has surpassed the 1,418 migrants and refugees who perished in the same region in 2022. Lassalle warned that the current figures are the worst since 2016 or 2017, and if the trend continues, 2023 could exceed 3,231 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean in 2021, potentially making it the deadliest year in the past decade of migration crises.
Transits from Tunisia show no sign of stopping
There have been continuous departures from Tunisia, with Libya previously a major launch point, according to the SOS Mediterranée official. The rise follows a wave of xenophobia expressed by Tunisia’s president and policy shifts targeting sub-Saharan migrants, fueling more crossings in the central Mediterranean. With Niger facing political upheaval, some fear the instability could worsen, compounding the EU’s border externalization policy.
The situation for migrants and refugees in Italy deterior worsens after Giorgia Meloni took office in Rome last year. Landings persist, and more than 1,500 people are currently living under harsh conditions in a reception center built for about 300.
Harsh returns
Beyond the perils of the crossing itself, migrants face violence and degrading treatment after surviving the central route along the Franco-Italian border. A recent Doctors Without Borders (MSF) report details that among 1,004 people assisted by MSF at a reception center near Ventimiglia, 80 percent had previously attempted to cross into France, often repeatedly, only to be sent back. Vulnerable groups—minors, pregnant women, new mothers, the elderly, and the seriously ill—are not spared from this pattern of pushbacks at the frontier.
MSF condemned pushbacks carried out by French police. The report indicates that more than a third of the 48 unaccompanied children cared for by MSF were allegedly sent back to Italy, raising serious concerns about the treatment of those most at risk. The MSF coordinator in Ventimiglia emphasized that individuals are being turned away without proper assessment of their needs, leaving them to struggle on Italian soil without adequate support.
Diplomatic strains between Paris and Rome have shaped the policy landscape around migrant movements. A notable incident occurred when Italy’s foreign minister canceled a May trip to France after French officials criticized Italy’s efficiency in halting crossings. Yet a June meeting at the Elysee between Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron signaled a shared resolve to manage arrivals collectively. The two leaders reaffirmed their intention to cooperate on this sensitive issue, even as 2023 continues to see tragic loss in the Mediterranean.