Rebounding smuggling activity along the Central Mediterranean Route

This is the second event based on the recently published report series: Human smuggling and trafficking ecosystems - North Africa and the Sahel covering changing dynamics in Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Niger, Chad and Mali.

This second event will present the main findings of research reports covering shifts in irregular migratory flows converging on the Central Mediterranean, with a focus on Libya, Niger and Chad. The presentation will tackle the period that followed the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions which has coincided with a substantial rise in human smuggling and trafficking activity along Libya’s coast; in part as a result of pent-up demand but also due to the knock on effect from the deteriorating economy in the region following the pandemic and subsequently the war on Ukraine. Presenters will also provide assessments for the trajectory of irregular migratory flows in the short to medium term.