The increasing rate of illegal immigration is due to the deteriorating and dangerous political, security and economic conditions in many parts of the Third World.
North Africa is a vast region where this phenomenon is spreading, having a negative impact on all forms of development. The problems of migration and development are one of the priorities of the development policies of North African countries, particularly in the light of the obvious disparity in the pace of development between countries in terms of policies and cooperation projects for economic and social development to reduce the causes of illegal immigration in the region.
Illegal immigration is the illegal entry and stay in a country, or the legal entry into a country without leaving at the end of the specified and legally authorised period of stay.
On the front line of the crisis
The Arab countries of North Africa are thus on the front line of the crisis of illegal African migrants heading for Europe. And this inextricable problem – impossible to deal with or solve by a single party in isolation from the others – is escalating with the constant aggravation of instabilities in Africa; especially in the border areas of neighboring countries experiencing economic, social and security difficulties.
The fight against this illegal immigration was at the center of a recent agreement signed between Libya and Tunisia. The Interior Ministers of the two countries thus agreed on the need for greater bilateral coordination and cooperation in the field of security – in particular concerning the exchange of information, training and the fight against organized crime. The two counterparts also agreed on ways to overcome obstacles in order to facilitate the services provided at the Ras Ajdir border crossing.
The two nations stressed the importance of monitoring the file of African migrants from the Sahel and sub-Saharan countries, due to its repercussions both on Tunisia and Libya. They have thus agreed to reduce the migratory flow at their borders, which requires concerted efforts and joint coordination to find solutions that would take into account their supreme interests. Tunisia and Libya also called on international organizations to support their efforts as well as those of the Tunisian and Libyan Red Crescent Societies, urging these global institutions not to fail in their duty of assistance to migrants and to grant them humanitarian assistance.
Monitoring the migration flow and strengthening security
Tunisia and Libya have also decided to set up a joint field team, whose task will be to monitor the flow of traffic at the Ras Ajdir border crossing; to take serious resolutions concerning all the problems facing this crossing, with a view to implementing them on the ground in order to facilitate the passage of travelers on both sides of the border; to strengthen the work of the joint standing committee on security; to continue joint coordination sessions, in order to consolidate bilateral relations while raising them to the highest level.
The Tunisian-Libyan agreement also stipulates the imperative of keeping a clear-sighted eye on the African immigration file as well as finding real solutions to it, which are not temporary but lasting, as eagerly demanded by the doctor of international law Elseddik Haftar – the eldest son of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA). However, this crisis cannot be resolved without the cooperation and coordination of the various parties affected or concerned by it: the competent United Nations agencies, the Western countries (especially European countries targeted by this illegal immigration) who advocate the protection of human rights and, finally, the African countries themselves – whose populations are risking their lives in the hope of finding a better one.
There are many objective approaches to this file, including those suggested by Dr. Haftar. The latter points out that the illegal migrants who cross Libya to get to Europe, via the Mediterranean, cause a vast controversy: thus, for Africans, the developed Western countries represent a paradise; they therefore seek to reach this El Dorado at all costs. However, according to Elseddik Haftar, it is wrong on the part of the Western world to want to treat this problem on the basis of the settlement of these migrants in North Africa, the last step before the Mediterranean and then Europe.
Without radical reforms in Africa, the crisis will worsen
Dr Haftar also warns that this crisis will worsen even more if radical reforms are not developed and implemented in the countries of origin of these migrants, where they will then be able to live decently. “If lasting solutions are not found, Africans will remain convinced that their end is in this Mediterranean where they flock – and sink – by the thousands; the equation is therefore either death or entry into European paradise. An intolerable equation!” he protests. According to him, all the solutions proposed so far are only local and temporary anesthetics, not serious plans to actually unravel the situation. “Therefore, the West is only shifting the problem to create an even bigger one, because the North African countries where it plans to settle illegal migrants are already enduring painful security, economic, social, health and educational crises themselves,” says Dr. Haftar.
Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are considered the main hubs of illegal immigration to Europe. Out of these five countries, Libya is the one that inherits the largest number of migrants, thus requiring very great vigilance on its part.
Elseddik Haftar confides that in the event that he is in a position of power, he is ready to work hand in hand with the Europeans in order to find together the right formulas that would preserve the dignity of Africans, ensuring them the legitimate means of subsistence for every human being. And in his eyes, this results above all from the safeguarding of human integrity, whether Africans go to Europe or stay on their continent; the most important thing being to no longer see them drowning in the sea by remaining inactive in the face of such a tragedy.
In principle, the Tunisian-Libyan agreement is supposed to make it possible in the future to stem the flow of migrants at the borders of the two countries. In this regard, numerous media reported the testimonies of migrants, Libyan border guards as well as NGOs confirming that 350 people (including 12 pregnant women and 65 children) are stranded in Ras Ajdir. Libya is also doing everything in its power to meet the needs of the more than 600,000 migrants present on its territory, providing them with water and food through its Red Crescent.
The repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war
Unemployment rates in Africa are rising alarmingly, reaching over 40% in some countries. These very high rates are due to the decline in average annual growth on the continent from 4.1% in 2021 to 3.3% in 2022.The decline is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, droughts caused by climate change, and the repercussions of terrorism, civil wars and political upheaval in most African countries.
Some experts believe that these economic difficulties in Africa are due in particular to the negative repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war – disruption of grain and energy supplies -; to the significant fall in the exchange rates of many African currencies after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates; and to the poor weather conditions in many African countries, particularly in East Africa, which have led to poor harvests, food shortages and rising prices. All these factors combined have probably prompted more and more Africans to choose migration as a way of finding a better life and improving their situation.
Dr Elseddik Haftar is one of the few people to propose a viable approach to resolving this chronic problem in North Africa. His vision is based on a purely human consideration, far removed from any kind of calculation, because what matters most to him is the value of the individual and his dignity. This doctor of international law, with his assertive personality and bearing the dreams of Libya’s youth, prefers action to empty words. He is involved in various emerging projects and economic and social development programmes, far from the battlefields and the sound of bullets. In so doing, Elseddik Haftar is making his contribution to finding a lasting solution to the problem of migration.
