There was good and bad news for the European Union last week: the number of migrants arriving in Europe on the Central Mediterranean route in the first two months of 2024 dropped 70 per cent compared to the same period the previous year, the latest figures revealed. The bad news was that they were up 117 per cent on the eastern Mediterranean route. The really bad news was that they were up 541 per cent on the West African route as Malians, Senegalese and Mauritanians arrived in large numbers on Spanish territory. The nationalities crossing the Eastern Mediterranean in the greatest number are Afghans, Syrians and Egyptians.
The figures will rise in the months ahead
January and February are traditionally the slowest months of the years for crossings, so the figures will likely rise in the months ahead as the people smuggling gangs make the most of the more clement weather.
Other factors will also contribute to the surge in migrants making their way to Europe.
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