International Organization for Migration: 2023 was a deadly year for refugees in the past decade

Bayan News – The United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) in a recent report has referred to 2023 as a deadly year for refugees and provided statistics indicating that at least 8,656 individuals have lost their lives on various migration routes.

The agency stated in its report on Thursday (6th of Hoot): “The number of migrant deaths in 2023 has increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year, emphasizing the urgent need for immediate actions to prevent further deaths.”

According to the United Nations Migration Agency, since the beginning of the current calendar year, over 500 more individuals have lost their lives on migration routes.

The Migration Agency continues to highlight that due to the limited availability of safe migration routes, hundreds of thousands of people are attempting to migrate through smuggling routes. However, the main migration route from North Africa to Southern Europe remains the most dangerous route, with at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances recorded on this route last year, the highest number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea since 2017.

According to reports, the number of refugees who lost their lives last year reached an unprecedented figure in other parts of the world as well. In Africa, 1,866 individuals were killed, and in Asia, 2,138 individuals were killed or went missing.

“Over two thousand” undocumented migrants have gone missing in the Mediterranean waters.

Oguchi Daniels, the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Organization for Migration, said: “As we mark a decade since the launch of the Missing Migrants Project, we remember all the lives lost. Each of them was a human tragedy that will impact their families and loved ones for years to come.”

The International Organization for Migration launched the “Missing Migrants Project” in 2014, which collects data on migrant deaths and disappearances and makes it accessible to the public. So far, 63,872 cases have been recorded worldwide in this project.

However, it is estimated that due to obstacles in identifying and registering statistics, especially in remote areas such as the forests of Panama and in maritime routes where migrant-carrying boats disappear without leaving any traces, the actual number of migrant deaths and disappearances is much higher than the International Organization for Migration’s statistics.

Oguchi Daniels added: “These alarming figures underscore the need for broader actions to ensure safe migration for all, so that people in search of a better life do not risk their lives anymore.”