Alarming Migrant Deaths in MENA: Urgent Action Required

About 3,800 migrants lost their lives while attempting to migrate to or through the Middle East and North Africa region in 2022. It is the highest toll since 2017 when 4,255 deaths were recorded, revealed the latest report issued by the International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.) on Tuesday.
The source added that last year witnessed an 11% increase in deaths among immigrants compared to 2021, during which 3,428 deaths were recorded.
More than half of the world’s deaths–a total of 6,877–occurred in the North African region, which recorded 203 road fatalities, most notably while crossing the Sahara Desert, while Middle East region recorded 825.
Libya registered the highest number of road deaths with 117, followed by Algeria (54), Morocco (13), Tunisia (10), and Egypt (9).
Car accidents caused 41% of the fatalities in North Africa, while environmental conditions and scarcity of resources (i.e., food, water, shelter, etc.) accounted for 31% of the number. In addition, 2,406 migrants drowned on their way across the Mediterranean to Europe.
The I.O.M. calls for immediate action and international cooperation to address this humanitarian crisis and to prevent further loss of lives.