Migrants' journey of hope ends in tragedy

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/611581

Africans seeking new life in Europe feared dead as overloaded boat sinks

Apr 01, 2009 04:30 AM
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Olivia Ward
FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER



Hope has been abandoned for about 300 missing African men, women and children, who are feared to have drowned on a perilous voyage from Libya to Italy seeking economic survival at a time of growing global desperation.

"The search has stopped, and we have no more information on their fate," said Michele Bombassei, head of technical co-operation for the International Organization for Migration in Tripoli, Libya.

A boat said to be carrying 356 people – but designed to hold just 75 – capsized Sunday near an oil platform 50 kilometres off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

Libyan coast guard officials retrieved at least 23 bodies and rescued 23 survivors before halting the search.

Two other vessels lost radio contact in turbulent weather; the Geneva-based group said it was unclear whether they were local fishing boats or other shipments of migrants.

An Italian-Libyan pact to patrol the Libyan coast will be launched May 15. But it is unlikely to stem the flow of thousands of illegal migrants trying to escape starvation, war and political persecution in Africa.

A recent report by the British government says the impoverished continent faces economic decline because of the global financial downturn, driving many to seek riskier escape routes.

"Smugglers often use unseaworthy and overcrowded boats to carry migrants who have had to pay large sums for their journey," the migration group said, adding that last year nearly 36,000 people arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a beachhead for migrants seeking work in Europe. The numbers more than doubled since 2007.

In Geneva, migration group spokesperson Jean-Philippe Chauzy told reporters that migrants heading for Italy often face appalling conditions.



"There's no safety equipment on those boats – no buoys, dinghies or anything – because the purpose is to cram (in) as many people as possible ..."

Those who make it to Lampedusa – the closest Italian point from Libya – get a hostile reception. It is home to swelling numbers of migrants who once were removed to the mainland for detention, but are placed in a full-to-bursting camp.

Italy, hard hit by the economic shock, is hoping the sea patrols will prevent a catastrophic migration crisis. More than 600 new arrivals were found along Italy's southern coast this week alone.

In a phone interview from Tripoli, Bombassei said many of the migrants who arrive in Libya stay there if they find jobs in the oil-rich country. With a small population of 6.2 million, it has labour shortages at a time when other countries are grappling with unemployment.

"Notwithstanding the (low) price of oil, Libya is in an economic boom," Bombassei said. "The government has started an important program of refurbishing cities, and news of jobs travels quickly."

Some migrants find construction work or more skilled employment. But the majority have a day-to-day struggle for survival, and the discouraged try to move on to Europe.

Early spring marks the beginning of the smuggling season in the Mediterranean Sea, said Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The sea is generally warmer and calmer during this time of year, though strong storms still occur.



With files from the Star's news services