The Eastern Mediterranean migratory route was the third most active in irregular arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers between January and April 2022, according to preliminary calculations shared by Frontex.
The increase of detections recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean route was related to the arrivals to Cyprus, which accounted for more than half of all detections. Most migrants came from Syria, Nigeria and Congo.
On an EU level, irregular arrivals increased by 69% during the first four months of 2022, with the total of irregular arrivals detected reaching 57,800.
In April, Frontex registered around 15,000 irregular crossings, 79% more than in the same month last year.
The most active migratory route during the first four months of 2022 was the Western Balkan route, which accounted for nearly half of all the illegal border crossings with 27,172 illegal crossings, up by 130% from last year. The main nationalities on this route included Syrians and Afghans.
The second largest number was registered on the Central Mediterranean route, where 9,300 illegal crossings were detected between January and April, roughly 4% more than during the same period in the previous year. The main nationalities represented on this route were Egyptians, Bangladeshi and Tunisians.
The number of detections on the Eastern Mediterranean route remained high with 9,109 arrivals, an increase of 86%.
Also, on the Eastern land border route, Frontex registered 1683 irregular crossings, over five times more than last year. The main nationalities on this route were nationals of Ukraine, Iraq and Belarus.
Meanwhile, the number of irregular migrants seeking to cross the Channel towards the UK using small boats continued to rise in both sides of the Channel. Roughly 12,800 attempts were recorded, which is a 160% increase compared to the same period in 2021. The main nationalities on this route were from Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.
Refugees fleeing Ukraine and entering the EU through border crossing points are not part of the figures of illegal entries detected. According to the latest Frontex data, more than 5.9 million people have entered the EU from Ukraine and Moldova since the beginning of invasion in February.
At the moment, Frontex has more than 2,000 standing corps officers and staff at various sections of the EU external border, as well as in Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Moldova.
The preliminary data refer to the number of detections of irregular border-crossing at the external borders of the European Union. The same person may attempt to cross the border several times in different locations at the external border, it is noted in conclusion.
Source: Cyprus News Agency