8400 Algerian Illegal Migrants Arrived On Italy, Spain Shores Within 9 Months

The European Border Control Agency “Frontex” revealed its latest figures regarding the arrival of Algerian illegal migrants to the European shores during the first nine months of the current year, data that clearly express a significant increase in the number of illegal migrants across Italy and Spain in light of a significant decline in the phenomenon through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans due to closed borders after the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic.

According to figures published by the European Border Control Agency “Frontex”, about two-thirds of illegal migrants arriving in Spain since the beginning of this year are Algerians, indicating that 11,000 illegal migrants of various nationalities arrived on the coast of the Kingdom until the end of last September, two-thirds of them from Algeria.

With a calculation that translates what was published by the European Border Control Agency “Frontex”, out of 11.000 illegal migrants who arrived in Spain in 9 months this year, 7200 of them are Algerians, which represents two-thirds, i.e 66%, while the Moroccan illegal migrants are second, without disclosing their number or nationality.

On the other side, the Italian coasts, the Italian Interior Ministry’s numbers indicate, in cooperation with data from Frontex, that more than 1,200 Algerian illegal migrants arrived on the coast of Sardinia, and some of them have reached the island of Lampedusa since the beginning of this year.

By calculation, a total of 8,400 Algerian illegal migrants arrived on the coasts of both Italy and Spain since the beginning of this year (7200 + 1200), which is a relatively high number compared to the figures recorded during the past years on these two axes.

This increase in the number of arrivals on death boats to the coasts of Spain and Italy is explained by the spread of the Covid19 pandemic and the closure of the Algerian air, sea and land space, which reduced the number of illegal migrants that were entering Europe through its eastern axis, that is, through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans.

These numbers are also reinforced by the interceptions published from time to time by the National Defense Ministry regarding the number of illegal migrants who were intercepted at the European country’s three seafronts (western, central and eastern).