Interior Minister Chairs Videoconference on Irregular Migration

Interior and Decentralization Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug chaired, on Wednesday, a videoconference on irregular migration. The objective of the meeting is to reflect on the challenges and opportunities on the West African-Atlantic route, which has recently seen an increase in the smuggling of migrants. The idea is to further strengthen and coordinate actions in the fight against irregular migration and networks of migrant smuggling and human trafficking. In his speech, the Minister indicated that today’s meeting is meant to satisfy the desire repeatedly expressed by the leaders of our respective States to favor the policy of consultation and permanent exchanges to address issues of common interest. Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug said that the IOM project has recorded, since the beginning of 2020, the death or disappearance of at least 510 people on the road to the Canary Islands. He stressed that the situation has become very critical and strikes at the heart of our societies, because it affects the youth and the most vulnerable segments of society, before adding that it requires all the states concerned to coordinate actions and intensify information exchange. He added that the President of the Republic had already set the tone when he spoke of the most effective legal, technical, and operational triptych that has made our country a model in the fight against terrorism and irregular migration. To this end, the government, he said, has just strengthened our legal arsenal with two laws: one on the prevention and repression of trafficking in persons and the protection of victims, and the other on smuggling of migrants, adopted by parliament last August. Migration, a consubstantial phenomenon of the human odyssey, is a major challenge today, mainly in our West African region where the way of life has been based on mobility since the dawn of time, as he put it. But the current scale is unprecedented. Number of factors with cumulative and cross effects presiding over the massification of migratory flows. Growing conflict, poverty, terrorism, multiple humanitarian crises, and the absence of prospects sometimes and often even darken horizons. They open the doors wide to hazardous attempts which expose our populations to mortal perils. Internationally, migratory movements are the subject of much attention, especially in Europe where they upset the balance of countries. He explained that the changes observed are contributing to the restructuring of migratory spaces and the modification of routes, making them even more dangerous for candidates for irregular migration to Europe. He concluded that the West African – Atlantic route is particularly dangerous, because of the long distances to be traveled, the weather conditions, the nature of the boats and the travel conditions. The videoconference saw the participation of Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania.