European countries received 330,000 illegal migrants in 2022, the highest rate since 2016, according to data from Frontex, the EU border agency. Curbing illegal migration has been an important point of co-operation between the administration of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Egyptian military and the EU. The main European destination for Egyptians is Italy, where one in three illegal migrant arrivals were Egyptian, according to a 2022 UNHCR report. The increase in migration by Egyptians is “influenced primarily by economic factors and the search for employment,” the EUAA said. Departures from Egypt dropped in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, but illegal migration has since risen in 2021 and 2022.

Source: Ethiopian News January 01, 2024 04:59 UTC