Photograph: Costas Metaxakis/AFP via Getty ImagesAlmost 8,000 people died or went missing ‌last year on perilous migration routes such as across the Mediterranean and Horn of Africa, but the ‌real toll is could far higher as cuts in funding have hit humanitarian access and tracking of deaths, a UN agency has said. Legal pathways for migration are shrinking, pushing more people into the hands of smugglers, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said, as Europe, the US and other regions increase enforcement and invest heavily ​in deterrence. “The continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept as ⁠normal,” IOM director general Amy Pope said in a statement published on Thursday. When safe pathways are out of reach, people are forced into dangerous journeys and into the hands of smugglers and ⁠traffickers. The trend ​has continued into 2026, with migrant deaths in the Mediterranean reaching 606 by February 24th, the IOM added.

Source: The Irish Times February 26, 2026 20:46 UTC