Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

Other countries in the region tend to be transit points for journeys to
Libya, for the most part. This is with the exception of Morocco, which serves as
the only North African departure point along the Western Mediterranean route,
and as such, still receives some irregular inflows. The increased controls along
the Spanish/Moroccan borders make it increasingly difficult to irregularly move
into Spain from Morocco, which means that the inflows into Morocco, as well as
the number of irregular migrants in the country, remain nowhere near as high
as Libya. There is also evidence that some irregular migrants in Morocco, when
they are unable to move into Spain after repeated attempts, end up moving
to Libya to try their luck along the Central Mediterranean route as so do some
Moroccans who wish to move to Europe irregularly (Malakooti, 2015a).
While the increased instability in Libya today and the consequent dangers
for migrants have presumably made the country less desirable than prior to the
2014 political crisis, the impression is that the inflows remain strong because
the migratory routes into the country and the transit routes through the country
are quite well established (ibid.). Map 4.1 charts all the main smuggling routes
through North Africa, with the exclusion of those moving through Morocco.
Map 4.1: Main smuggling routes through North Africa, with the exclusion of routes through
Morocco
Source: Malakooti, 2013–2015.
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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