ROME" type="video/ogg"> Death on the Central Mediterranean: 2013-2020 Since 2013, more than 17,000 asylum seekers and migrants are known to have disappeared or died. Since 2013, more than 17,000 asylum seekers and migrants are known to have disappeared or died in the Central Mediterranean. The more than 36,400 asylum seekers and migrants known to have crossed the Central Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe last year is a far cry from more than 180,000 in 2016, but the continually high death rate still makes the sea the world’s deadliest borderzone. Last year, more than 840 people were confirmed to have disappeared or died while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean. Against this backdrop, we present a timeline not only of the EU’s steady withdrawal from search and rescue activities in the Central Mediterranean, but also of the increasing criminalisation of the NGOs that have attempted to fill the gap, and of the worsening humanitarian consequences.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 12, 2021 13:02 UTC