Between the 03^th and the 05^th of April 2024, more than 300 people arrived on the shores of Lampedusa. An 18-year-old woman from Ghana died. The Central Mediterranean thus remains the busiest and deadliest route for would-be migrants to Europe. On April 17, 2024, still in a dynamic of externalization and repression of freedom of movement, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni went to Tunis to sign several agreements with Tunisian President Kais Saied with the backdrop of ” migration management”.

In the Western Mediterranean, the Atlantic route is experiencing an increase in irregular arrivals, in contrast to a downward trend observed by Frontex across the EU. The European agency announced a 12% drop  in the total number of arrivals to European territory compared to the previous year.

The Eastern Mediterranean has been the scene of a particularly shameless tragedy that has affected hundreds of refugees of Syrian origin in recent weeks. Despite the extreme violence suffered by civilians in Syria and the xenophobia to which they are subjected, Cyprus has announced the suspension of asylum procedures for these people. At least 6 ships have been turned back by Nicosia, which sends them back to Lebanon against the principle of non-refoulement.

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