AFRICAN AND MEDITERRANEAN
IRREGULAR MIGRATION ROUTES
East Mediterranean
Evros River
Routes
Istanbul
Ankara
Ayvalik
Lesvos
Chios
Izmir and Cesme
Samos
Patmos
Kos
Urfa
Mersi
Rhodes
Zones
Cyprus
Beirut
Damascus
Central Mediterranean
Tunis
Sicily
La Goulette
Malta
Lampedusa
Sfax
Legend
Minor connecting land routes
Connecting land routes
Major connecting land routes
Maritime routes
Major maritime routes
Major air routes
Venice
Main areas of departure
and entry to the EU
Countries
Main Asian countries of
CHI origin using air migration routes
Sète
Benghazi
Ghädamis
CIV
Igoumenitsa
Malaga
Algeciras
Ceuta
Main migration hubs
Casablanca
Migration hubs
Migration route cities
Main transit airports
Tunis
Almeria
El Hoceima
Tangiers
Asilah
Melilla
Rabat Oujda
Gran Canaria
Tenerife
El Aiun
SYR
Beirut
LBY
Damascus
Amman
Suez Canal
JOR
EGY
Illizi
IRQ
LBN
Alexandria
Cairo
Sebha
Mersi
Cyprus
Ghädamis
DZA
Hakkari
Urfa
Benghazi
Zliten
Agri
Van
Izmir and Cesme
Chios
Samos
Patmos
Bodrum
Kos
Rhodes
Crete
Ankara
CHN
IND
PAK
BGD
Bojador
El Hoceima
Tamanrasset
Melilla
Nador
Maghnia
Oujda
Nouadhibou
Fuerteventura
Grand Canaria
CPV
Tan-Tan
Tarfaya
Lemsia
El Aiun
Bojador
Saint Louis
Dakar
SEN
Al Jawf
Aswan
Tessalit
Selima
TCD
Arlit
Dirkou
Gao
Bamako
Ouagadougou
Conakry
Agadez
Largeau
GNB
SDN
Kano
N' Djamena
Monrovia
Abidjan
Accra
Porto-Novo
Al Qadarif
Djibouti
ETH
NGA
Freetown
ERI
Asmara
Khartoum
Zinder
Niamey
Port Sudan
Atbara
NER
WAG
SLE
Nouakchott
MLI
BFA
GIN
Nouadhibou
Djanet
MRT
Nouakchott
West Africa
Tenerife
Tripoli
Ouargla
Tan-Tan
Lemsia
Ayvalik
Lesvos
Sfax
Zuwarah
Adrar
Fuerteventura
Almeria
Ceuta
Rabat
TUN
Ghardaia
Agadir
Sicily
Malta
Lampedusa
Maghnia
MAR
Algeciras
Casablanca
Algiers
Patras
La Goulette
Istanbul
Evros River
Brindisi
Tarfaya
Asilah
Ancona
Bari
Country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code)
Main countries of origin or
transit
MTM EPS
European Partner States
MTM APS
Arab Partner States
West Mediterranean
Malaga
Marseille
Trieste
(ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code)
Capitals
Zliten
Zuwarah
Tripoli
Tangiers
Dialogue
Exploited ferry routes
Bodrum
Crete
MTM Dialogue
Addis Ababa
CAF
Lagos
Bangui
CIV
GHA
TGO
Yaounde
rranean
Migration via the Mediterranean
has become one of the major
humanitarian and security
issues in European, Eastern
Mediterranean and NorthAfrican societies. For 4 years,
the Mediterranean Transit
Migration Dialogue (MTM)
offered interested countries
a platform to work on viable
solutions. Although both the
Barcelona Process, as well as
the 5+5 Dialogue addressed
some of the issues, there was
up to 2001 no informal dialogue
focusing on the growing
challenge of irregular transit
migration the Mediterranean
region. Therefore, in the same
year the International Centre for
Migration Policy Development
(ICMPD) implemented an
EC funded project to bring
together
representatives
from the Northern, Eastern
and Southern shores of the
Mediterranean.
Since 2002, ICMPD has acted
as the Secretariat of the MTM
Dialogue between MTM Partner
States composed of Arab
Partner States (APS), namely
Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya,
Morocco, Syria and Tunisia,
and the European Partner
States
(EPS)
comprising
interested EU Member States
and
Norway,
Switzerland
and Turkey. In 2006, after
the exploratory phase (20022003) and the successful
consolidation phase (20042005), the MTM Dialogue
entered into a project phase
Towards a Comprehensive
Response to Mixed Migration
Flows
implemented
in
partnership with EUROPOL
and FRONTEX.
The present Joint ICMPDEUROPOL-FRONTEX
map
on African and Mediterranean
Irregular Migration Routes
is mainly based on the
contributions
provided
by
relevant
administrations
from APS and EPS to the
Joint
ICMPD-EUROPOL
Questionnaire
on
Illegal
Migration and Trafficking in
Human Beings in the MTM
Partner States. Additional
elaboration provided by the
MTM Partner States, ICMPD,
EUROPOL and FRONTEX
experts contributed to the
information gathering process
which enhanced and assured
the quality of the assessment.
Moreover, the study of a broad
range of research material and
a close monitoring of open
sources and relevant political
developments on migration
issues in the African and
Mediterranean region was
undertaken.
Transit M
igration
countries, migration flows
evolved in their composition
after 2003 with a rise in the
number of transit migrants from
the Sub-Saharan region.
Nowadays, Arab Mediterranean
coastal States have become
more countries of transit, and
to a certain extent countries
of destination, than of origin,
creating new challenges for
them in terms of migration
management and national
security.
The latest evolutions in
migration flows and routes
going through Africa and the
Mediterranean are illustrated
on this detailed map. The five
main routes listed below have
been identif ed.
The West Africa route – i.e.
starting in the West African
countries and ending in the
Canary Islands – is the one
which has evolved the most
and is currently facing the
most challenging problems
in terms of maritime border
management and safety of the
migrants embarking on highly
perilous crossing.
The West Mediterranean
route, like the West Africa
route, originates from West
African countries – mainly
Niger, Mali, Benin, Guinea, and
Sierra Leone. The route heads
northwards through Algeria
and/or Morocco to enter either
one of the Spanish enclaves of
Ceuta and Melilla or mainland
Spain by crossing the Straits of
Gibraltar.
The Central Mediterranean
route becomes a major
route in Agadez (Niger) and
represents the second major
axis along which migrants
travel to enter Europe illegally.
A high number of migrants take
this route every year to end up
in Italy, especially Sicily and
its neighbouring islands or
Lampedusa, or Malta.
Originating in the Horn of Africa
(mainly Ethiopia, Somalia and
Eritrea) and Sudan to end
principally in Italy (Lampedusa
or Sicily) or Malta, the East
Africa route gained in size
over recent years.
Also
used
by
migrants
originating from the Horn of
Africa – and increasingly –, the
East Mediterranean route is
mainly taken by Middle Eastern
and Central Asian migrants
(Pakistanis, Indians, Kurds,
Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and
Bangladeshis). It is composed
of one main part transiting
Turkey and going to Greece
and of a smaller one, going to
Cyprus via Turkey, Lebanon or
Focusing
on
the
wider Syria.
Mediterranean
region, en- For more information, do
compassing APS and EPS, not hesitate to contact the
population movements have
persons listed below.
been
traditional.
Coming
primarily
from
Maghreb
Contacts:
ICMPD
M. Julien Simon
MTM Project/Liaison Officer
Tel: +43 1 50 44 677 47
julien.simon@icmpd.org
CMR
LBR
on Medit
e
COD
Gulf of
Guinea
Saint Louis
Dakar
EUROPOL
Mogadishu
M. Mikael Jensen
Deputy Head of the Crimes Against Persons Unit
Tel: +31 70 302 54 45
jensenm@europol.europa.eu
FRONTEX
M. Graham Leese
Special Advisor to the Executive Director
Tel: +48 225 16 25 40
Graham.lesse@frontex.europa.eu
The present map on African and Mediterranean Irregular Migration Routes is the result of a joint assessment carried out by ICMPD, EUROPOL and FRONTEX within the framework of the project
Towards a Compehensive Response to Mixed Migration Flows, implemented under the umbrella of the MTM Dialogue. The countries contributing to the current financing of the project are Cyprus,
Lebanon, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by ICMPD, EUROPOL or FRONTEX.
©ICMPD, EUROPOL, FRONTEX, November 2006