The sea lanes of Europe were busy last weekend. On Sunday, more than 700 migrants crossed the Channel from France to England, taking the total number this year to 18,342 – a 13 per cent increase on 2023. On the same day, 421 migrants in twelve boats disembarked on the Italian island of Lampedusa, and more have arrived since, swelling the numbers to over 500.
The diversity of the nationalities of arrivals in Lampedusa is a fascinating and alarming snapshot of the crisis confronting Europe. The people stepping ashore hailed from Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ghana, Gambia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Liberia and Syria.
There are now too many gangs operating in Asia, the Middle East and Africa
Some set out in their boats from Libya and others from Tunisia. The latter is the cheaper route, with the migrants paying the smugglers between £500 to £1,500 pounds (the cheapest route is from Sfax, which is 116 miles west of Lampedusa).
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