The European Commission has proposed a plan to stimulate the economies of Mediterranean countries such as Algeria, Libya and Morocco. The goal: To support their attempts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to curb irregular migration.
Spanish police have arrested eight members of a gang they say is engaged in trafficking hashish and transporting migrants from the North African enclave of Melilla to the Spanish mainland.
Locals working in the tourism sector on Spain's Canary Islands have been hit hard by coronavirus lockdowns. Though many of them welcome foreigners, migrants arriving irregularly from Africa who have been housed in empty hotels have caused xenophobia to escalate.
The African Migration Observatory was inaugurated at the end of December 2020 and will begin work in February 2021. One of its main aims is to collect information to establish better migratory policies and invite a more balanced view of the topic on the continent.
The Western Sahara is known for its beaches and resorts; but amid a global pandemic, locals have been forced to seek opportunities elsewhere, aiding people smugglers in moving migrants across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands. But this is a dangerous undertaking on all sides.
Around 150 migrants attempted to storm a section of the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish enclave Melilla, Spanish authorities say. 87 people reportedly succeeded in crossing the border.
Nearly 1,600 unaccompanied minors are currently reported as missing in Germany. Nearly 1,000 of them were reportedly aged between 14 and 17 years and just over 600 children were aged 13 and younger.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of legal foreign residents in France who received family reunification approvals have been unable to get visas for their relatives. They say the suspension of these visa applications is "discriminatory".
Nearly 2,200 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea this year, most on their way to the Canary Islands. The migrant rights group Caminando Fronteras said a reduction in rescue services was partly to blame.
Europe is increasing pressure on African countries to take back migrants in exchange for development aid. But the EU should instead be focusing on creating safe routes to seek protection, analysts have warned.
Moustapha arrived in the Canary Islands in 2006 as part of the previous influx of mass arrivals at that time. He befriended a young compatriot from Morocco who arrived there by boat in November this year.
Mediterranean states France and Morocco have inked a deal on child migrant returns. The text of the agreement on the care of unaccompanied underage migrant children notably calls for "concrete tools" to facilitate the return of minors from France to Morocco.