UNHCR: migrant rescue should also occur in deserts

Sub-Saharan African migrants sit near tents at a camp in Jebeniana, Sfax governorate, Tunisia, May 04, 2024. Sfax is one of the main departure points in Tunisia for illegal migration to Europe by boat. Keystone-SDA

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has called for the rescue of people on dangerous migration routes to be expanded.

There is much discussion about rescues at sea, but rescue in the desert is also necessary, says the UNHCR.

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UNHCR official responsible for the refugee situation on the central Mediterranean route, Vincent Cochetel, criticised humanitarian organisations in Geneva on Tuesday. He called for migrants to be helped along the migration route, for example in smaller towns where they are sometimes left alone by smugglers without supplies. Cochetel said migrants are in need of emergency aid and information about the dangers in those areas.

Not all migrants are refugees

According to the Organization for Migration (IOM), migrants are all people who leave their place of residence -regardless of reason, for how long or whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Refugees are a subgroup of migrants. Refugees seek protection from war or the threat of persecution, for example because of their religion, nationality or political beliefs. This means that refugees are also migrants, however, not all migrants are refugees.

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According to the UNHCR, hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives on the move in sub-Saharan Africa. He emphasized that most of them are looking for new homes near their home countries and are not on their way to Europe.

Three quarters of the 108 million forcibly displaced people worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries. The UNHCR reports that these people are exposed to the risk of violence, torture and kidnapping on migration routes. There needs to be much more cooperation with local authorities who are on the ground in the areas and can help people, says the UNHCR. The UNHCR has called on donor countries to make more funding available.

Adapted from German by DeepL/amva

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