20 migrants died in the desert on the border between Chad and Libya . Immigration organizations called for stronger protective action.
UNICEF photo/Gilbertson V Niger forces patrol the Sahara Desert, searching for "ISIL" and "Boss" "Koharam" and other extremist armed groups.
The International Organization for Migration today deplored the death of at least 20 migrants found in the Libyan desert and reiterated its call for stronger action to protect migrants on the Chadian-Libyan border.
The bodies of 18 people believed to be Chadian and two Libyans were reportedly found near the Chadian border on June 28. The men were believed to have died of dehydration, according to Libyan ambulance and emergency services.
Federico Soda, head of the International Organization for Migration office in Libya, said: “Yesterday’s incident of 20 people losing their lives in the Libyan desert once again sounded the alarm for the entire international community and reminded us that we are still very far away from achieving the 2030 goals. The agenda's 'leave no one behind' goal is far off."
"The loss of life we are witnessing in the Mediterranean and in the deserts of southern Libya is both unacceptable and avoidable."
Migrants are the most dangerous and deadly. One of the routes
The Sahara Desert is one of the most dangerous and deadly migration routes in the world. More than 2,000 migrants have died in the Sahara Desert alone since 2014, according to records from the International Organization for Migration's Missing Migrants Project, but experts believe the actual number is higher.
Since the intensification of gold mining in northern Chad in 2012, there has been an increase in incidents of migrants being abandoned by traffickers and smugglers, or of transporters getting lost, along the Chad-Libya border.
Anne Kathrin Schaefer, head of the IOM office in Chad, said: “These tragedies must serve as a call to action to provide minimum standards of protection for migrants, conduct search and rescue operations and strengthen humanitarian border management, and provide much-needed aid in this extremely remote area.”
Last month, clashes between gold miners in the town of Kouri Bougoudi, near the Libyan border, left hundreds dead. Tens of thousands of miners were displaced in the north.
"In the absence of safe migration pathways, migrants will take desperate measures, embark on dangerous paths, fall into the hands of human traffickers, or become lost in the desert, often with devastating consequences," Schaeffer said.
Despair People continue to take desperate risks
Between January and March this year, more than 45,000 migrants were recorded at three migrant movement monitoring points in northern Chad. Of the migrants surveyed by IOM during this period, 32% traveled to Libya despite lacking basic prerequisites to ensure their safety and protection.
The International Organization for Migration reiterates its call to protect migrants and their rights through dedicated search and rescue efforts, and to investigate and prosecute smugglers and traffickers who exploit people's desperation and vulnerability.
