More than 1000 people died in the Mediterranean in 2018

Immigrants are rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard in Tripoli, Libya. More than 1000 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2018 while they lived from in Libya to in Europe said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) late last night (01).

Approximately 204 migrants died during the past week after being placed on precarious vessels by human traffickers IOM pointed to the sudden increase the number of crossings in recent days. In addition, 103 missing in a Friday wreck, and an unknown number disappeared Sunday after a rubber boat sank to the east of Tripoli and leaves only 41 survivors.

"There is an alarming increase in marine deaths on the coast of Libya," said IOM's chief of mission in Libya, Othman Belbeisi, in a statement. "Traffickers exploit the desperation of immigrants to leave before new repressive operations across the Mediterranean Europe."

Immigration flows have declined since the peak of 2015 – Those at risk of embarking on this dangerous journey from North Africa have gone from hundreds of thousands to dozens of thousands. The other way, from Turkey to Greece, used by more than one million people in 2015, was largely banned two years ago.

IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle said that the increase in recent days may be due to factors such as climate and the end of Ramadan. "But there is also a worldwide recognition, I believe, that the European Union is starting to better manage the process, so maybe (immigrants) are also trying to take advantage of it as long as they can "said Doyle. "Traffickers of people will always put the profit before the security."

Despite the growth of deaths in recent days, the number of people reported missing in 2018 so far is less than half that recorded at this time in 2017. But overland travel across the Sahara then by the Mediterranean Sea continue to be the deadliest immigration route in the world and cause a polarization between European countries.

Anti-immigration right-wing parties take power Italy is consolidated last month in the former communist countries of Central Europe and last year they won seats in the German parliament for the first time since the 1940s.

Sunday, the German Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer, resigned because of immigration proposals introduced by by Chancellor Angela Merkel, raising doubts about the survival of her already fragile government

(Com Reuters)