With the exception of Libya, the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) have long been sources of emigration. In recent years, however, their role from a migration point of view has evolved. While the late 2000s witnessed continued emigration from these three countries, there was also an increase in immigration into their territories.
As a result, ‘the migration portrait of the Maghreb is changing and becoming more complex. To its traditional function as a source of emigration, which continues to grow and to have a strong impact on the demographic and socio-economic structures of the countries of the region, is now added a new immigration dimension and, as part of the latter, a transit function’,
Some believe that the notion that all or most of the migrants who cross the Sahara desert are ‘in transit’ to Europe is unfounded, and it may well be that there are indeed more sub-Saharan Africans living in the Maghreb than in Europe. Libya is an important destination country in its own right, but there are also many migrants who fail to reach European shores or decide not to make the attempt, preferring to remain in North Africa as a second-best choice. In addition, there are far fewer sub-Saharans than Maghreb nationals who actually cross the Mediterranean.