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Quarterly Mixed Migration Update North Africa, Quarter 1, 2022

Countries
Libya
+ 12 more
Sources
MMC
Publication date
Origin
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Key Updates

• Land and sea arrivals to Italy and Spain from North Africa through the Central (CMR) and Western Mediterranean Routes (WMR) increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2021.

• Data from the Spanish Ministry of Interior show an increase of land and sea arrivals in the first two months of 2022 of 73.2% compared to the same period last year. According to the Ministry's figures, more than 98% of these arrivals were registered by sea, with most arrivals registered at the Canary Islands.

• According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Q1 of 2022 3,094 refugees and migrants were intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) and returned to Libya.

• 410 refugees and migrants were reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean in Q1, of which 373 were along the CMR and 37 along the WMR. This marks a slight increase compared to the same period in 2021.

• In March, media reported on Germany’s announcement that it would no longer participate in the support and training of the LCG in Libya, carried out by the European Union (EU) since 2016, citing cases of mistreatment of intercepted and returned migrants and ‘‘unacceptable behaviour’’ by authorities.

• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn that combined effects of conflict, economic crisis, and poor harvests are significantly affecting people’s access to food and will likely double the number of people facing acute hunger in Sudan to more than 18 million people by September 2022, having the potential to impact on erupting and resource-driven conflicts and forced internal and cross-border displacements.