IOM: 167,276 persons arrived to Italy by sea from Sudan

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued an infographic on migration flows to Europe indicating that the number of arrivals by sea to Italy from Sudan during January-August 2016 increased compared to the same period of 2015, while the number of arrivals from Eritrea and Somalia dropped significantly.

Sudan is one of the main transit countries for Eritreans and Somalis travelling to Italy by sea. 

According to IOM, between January 1 and November 17, 2016, 167,276 persons arrived to Italy by sea, compared to 140,987 sea arrivals in the first 10 months of 2015. 

The total number of arrivals in Italy this year is similar to those of the previous two years, but recently IOM has noticed an increase in departures from Libya.

In terms of countries of origin, 13 percent of all sea arrivals to Italy originated from Nigeria, followed by Eritrea (9 percent), Sudan (5 percent) and other countries, including Somalia (3.6 percent).

Compared to the same period in 2015, the number of arrivals from Sudan increased by about 13 percent (from 7,131 to 8,066 arrivals), while the number of arrivals from Eritrea and Somalia decreased by 52 and 32 percent respectively (from 31,080 to 15,043 arrivals and from 8,790 to 6,025 arrivals respectively).

In April 2016, the European Union said it would provide about €100 million (an estimated $110 million) to address irregular migration and improve living conditions of refugees and host communities in eastern Sudan.
Sudan also benefits from additional funding under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, including a €40 million (about $42.5 million) program to better manage migration in the region.

In addition, the German government has earmarked €12 million (about $12.7 million) for projects aimed at stemming illegal immigration of Africans across Sudan to Europe.

Source: MENA