Key Updates
• Demonstrations in Zarzis: The residents of the coastal town of Zarzis in southeastern Tunisia expressed indignation over authorities’ inaction to deploy search and rescue operations for a boat with 18 Tunisian migrants who went missing in late September. Weeks of protests and a general strike prompted the Ministry of Justice to open an investigation at the order of President Kais Saied.
• Investigation into the Melilla incident closed with no charges: Spain closed its investigation into the incident that in June lead to the deaths of dozens of refugees and migrants attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla, dismissing the criminal charges against the Spanish officers involved. Meanwhile, Moroccan authorities reportedly continued their policing of refugees and migrants in the country through arrests, forced displacements, and imprisonments.
• UN report finds assisted returns from Libya are not always voluntary: A report on assisted voluntary returns from Libya by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) found that the limited choices and abuse faced by migrants in Libya jeopardizes the possibility of “truly voluntary” decisions to return to their countries of origin.
• Obstructions to search and rescue in the Mediterranean: Several NGO search and rescue (SAR) vessels remained at sea in the Mediterranean for weeks while waiting for a safe port in Europe. A standoff over the Ocean Viking vessel prompted an EU action plan on the Central Mediterranean, while Italy issued a new decree restricting NGO SAR operations.
• Central and Western Mediterranean Route trends: The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported 31,219 refugees and migrants had arrived irregularly in Spain via land and sea in 2022, representing a 26% decrease from 2021. Meanwhile, UNHCR reported 105,131 migrants and refugees arrived in Italy by sea in 2022, representing an increase of 56% compared to 2021.
Source: Mixed Migration Centre