Migration From Libya Cannot Be Solved With Short Term, Single Focus Policies

Last week, Rhiannon Smith spoke to the Voice of America's Vincent Makori to discuss the issues and challenges of increased migration from Libya to Europe across the Central Mediterranean route, pointing out that although insecurity and instability in Libya mean that far more people are currently reaching European shores than previously, cross-continental migration cannot be addressed by focusing on one single part of the migration trail, whether the Med or Libya. She argues that the use of short-term, stop-gap solutions, such as preventing people from arriving on Italian shores or giving more funding and equipment to Libyan coastguard units or militias,  will not solve the problem and may actually make the humanitarian situation far worse for migrants in the short term and for the populations of both Europe and Africa in the long term. She adds that the conditions that allow jihadist groups to thrive in Libya and the wider Sahel region are the same conditions that allow people smugglers to operate and push people to leave these areas, highlighting the need for greater coordination between Sahel states to address the myriad migration related challenges.