More asylum seekers have now reached Italy by boat in 2016 than in any previous year on record. As of Monday, the total had surpassed the previous record of 170,000, set in 2014. Pressure on transit countries in the Sahara desert, through which many African migrants pass before reaching Libya, has had no effect. Flows through Niger, the country to Libya’s south, increased in 2016, despite Niger introducing new anti-smuggling laws at the request of the EU. The majority of migrants bound for Italy are fleeing poverty, wars and dictatorships in Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and the Gambia.

Source: The Guardian November 28, 2016 12:27 UTC