Despite a significant drop in the number of arrivals on European shores, a total of 2,275 migrants and refugees died or went missing while attempting to cross the Mediterranean last year. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 139,300 people arrived in Europe by sea, mainly via Spain.
According to the report Journeys of Despair, published by the UNHCR, six human lives were lost, on average, every day. While the number of arrivals is the lowest in five years, refugees and migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea lost their lives at an alarming rate in 2018, laments the UN agency.
On the routes from Libya to Europe, one person died at sea out of every 14 arrivals in Europe - a sharp rise on the rate for 2017. Thousands more have been sent back to Libya, where they live in appalling conditions in detention centers.
The world's deadliest crossing
At the same time, the UN agency notes that a reduction in search and rescue operations continues to make this the deadliest sea crossing in the world. Yet "saving human lives at sea is neither a choice nor a matter of policy, but an age-old obligation", said Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Spain, Europe's main point of entry
The report also reveals significant changes in the routes taken by refugees and migrants. For the first time in recent years, Spain has become the main point of entry into Europe, with around 8,000 arrivals by land (through the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla), and a further 54,800 successfully crossing the dangerous western Mediterranean.
As a result, the number of deaths in the western Mediterranean almost quadrupled, from 202 in 2017 to 777. Around 23,400 refugees and migrants arrived in Italy in 2018, five times fewer than the previous year. Greece received a similar number of arrivals by sea, around 32,500 people, compared with 30,000 in 2017, but the number of people arriving via its land border with Turkey almost tripled.
Elsewhere in Europe, Bosnia-Herzegovina recorded around 24,000 arrivals of refugees and migrants transiting the western Balkans. Cyprus received several boats carrying Syrian refugees from Lebanon, while the UK saw a small number of crossings from France towards the end of the year.
The report goes on to describe how changes in the policy of some European states have led to numerous incidents, with large numbers of people stranded at sea for days on end, waiting for permission to dock. "NGO boats and their crews have faced increased restrictions on their search and rescue operations".
Yet, according to Mr. Grandi, "we can put an end to these tragedies". For the head of UNHCR, all we need is "the courage and ambition to look beyond the next boat". He also calls for "a long-term approach based on regional cooperation and centered on human life and dignity".
For many of these migrants and refugees, arriving in Europe was the last stage of a nightmarish journey, during which they were subjected to torture, rape and sexual assault, as well as threats of abduction or detention for ransom.
Relocation: A sustainable solution on the horizon?
However, there have been glimmers of hope here and there. Despite the political impasse over a regional approach to rescue and disembarkation at sea, as called for by UNHCR and IOM last June, several states have committed to relocating those rescued in the central Mediterranean - which could form the basis of a predictable and lasting solution. Thousands of resettlement places have also been promised by states to evacuate refugees from Libya.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 5,757 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea since the start of this year, a slight increase on the 5,502 who arrived during the same period last year. Nearly three weeks into the year, 207 deaths have been recorded along the three main Mediterranean routes, compared with 242 during the same period in 2018.