More than 2,000 migrants have already died in the central Mediterranean since the start of 2023, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Published
Reading time: 1 min
:quality(50)/2023/12/17/000-336c3d7-657ef81c5ea60028550988.jpg)
Lebanon rescues 51 people from a boat “used for illegal trafficking of people” which was sinking off the coast of Tripoli, in the north of the country, the Lebanese army announced on Sunday December 17. Among them were “two Palestinians and 49 Syrians”said the army, which did not specify the initial destination of the boat.
Lebanese authorities regularly announce the arrest or refoulement of Syrians entering the country illegally. On November 1, the Lebanese army announced the interception of a boat on board which were more than 100 Syrian migrants and two Lebanese.
The central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The UN agency estimates that since the start of 2023, more than 2,000 migrants have disappeared there compared to around 1,400 in all of 2022. On Saturday, the IOM office in Libya told AFP that at least 61 Migrants were missing and presumed dead after their makeshift boat sank off the coast of the country.
