Migration has accompanied the history of humanity since its beginnings ¹H.D. Haas, S. Castles and M.J. Miller, The Age of Migration, International Population Movements in the Modern World, Sixth ed., Bloomsbury, Ed., Guilford Press, 2020, p. 443. [Book]. . The people moved en masse in search of fertile land, security, and opportunities. Today, the movement continues, but takes on a more complex dimension, marked by rigid borders, international trafficking networks, and heated political debates.

In the European Union, migration has become a central issue not only because of the difficulties it poses to asylum systems, but also because of its demographic significance. In 2024, the European bloc's population reached 450 million, a record number achieved thanks to the positive migration balance. ²A. Gabbatt, “Uganda denies reports that it has reached deal with Trump to take in US deportees”, The Guardian, 20 August 2025. ³T. Barber, “Asylum ruling against Greece exposes Europe's migrants dilemma”, Financial Times, 11 January 2025..

This balance is due to a clear problem that many Europeans seem unaware of. Europe is aging rapidly and needs a young workforce. ⁴United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “World Population Prospects 2024”, 2024., often provided by African and Asian migrants, without these immigrants, it will not be able to survive ⁵A. Gabbatt, “Uganda denies reports that it has reached deal with Trump to take in US deportees”, The Guardian, 20 August 2025..

However, the need for immigration faces political resistance. The issue divides governments, inflames populist rhetoric, and tests European solidarity. This is why, in May 2024, the "Pact on Migration and Asylum" was approved. ⁶G. d. Portugal, “Dispatch No. 11856-A/2024, of 7 October”, Portugal. ⁷European Union, “Pact on Migration and Asylum”., seeking to provide a common, effective and humanitarian response.

Entry Routes

The so-called European migration crisis exploded in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed the Mediterranean and the Balkans towards the European Union.

It was the largest wave of migration since World War II. Millions of people sought their fortunes heading north due to civil wars in the Middle East, political persecution, famine, and climate disasters, with around 1,3 million seeking asylum in just one year. ⁸M. Barlai, B. Fähnrich, C. Griessler, M. Rhomberg and P. Filzmaier, The migrant crisis: European perspectives and national discourses, L. Verlag, Ed., Zurich, 2017, p. 386. [Book]..

There are several routes:

• West African Route, bound for the Canary Islands;
• Western Mediterranean Route connecting Morocco to Spain;
• Central Mediterranean Route, the most deadly, leaving mainly from Libya to Italy;
• Eastern Mediterranean Route, from Türkiye to Greece;
• Western Balkan Route, through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary;
• English Channel Route, used to reach the United Kingdom;
• Eastern Borders Route, between Belarus and Poland.

According to Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, an agency of the European Union (EU), created in 2004 to support Member States in managing the external borders, in 2024 alone, 256.729 irregular crossings were recorded ⁹Frontex, “Irregular border crossings into EU drop sharply in 2024”, Frontex, 2025..

Although this number is the lowest since 2021, when the pandemic still limited mobility, it continues to represent a large-scale phenomenon.

According to preliminary data from Frontex, in the first seven months of 7, 2025 irregular arrivals to European shores were recorded, which corresponds to an 112.275% decrease compared to the same period in 18. Among the most represented nationalities are Afghans, Bangladeshis and, to a lesser extent, citizens of African countries in West Africa and the Sahel. ¹⁰Frontex, “EU external borders: irregular crossings down 18% in the first 7 months of 2025”, Frontex, 2025..

Despite the perception created by dramatic images of the crossings to Europe, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of African migration is internal. It is estimated that 80% of migratory flows departing from Africa remain within the continent itself. ¹¹L. Mourão, “Exclusive: “80% of migration phenomena departing from Africa are internal migration phenomena”, Jornal das Comunidades lusófonas, 4 August 2025., which means that the main pressure falls on neighboring countries, often with scarce resources and fragile state structures.

An example of this is Uganda, a small country that suffers from enormous internal challenges, but which has become the largest recipient of migrants and refugees on the African continent, and is also the third country in the world that receives the most refugees, illustrating how migration is primarily a regional movement and not exclusively directed towards Europe.

Since the beginning of 2025, an average of 600 people have arrived per day and it currently hosts around 1,9 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, with the number expected to reach 2 million by the end of the year. ¹²Press Release, “Nearly 2 million refugees at risk as Uganda emergency funds dwindle and services cut”, UNHCR, 4 August 2025. ,

In fact, many Africans who decide to emigrate outside the continent don't even consider Europe their preferred destination. Gulf countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, are highly attractive destinations, particularly due to job opportunities in construction, oil, and domestic services.

Geographical proximity, easier entry, and the constant demand for cheap labor make these countries recipients of significant migrant flows from East Africa, the Horn of Africa, and even the Sahel. However, the European phenomenon attracts greater media and political attention.

Part of this is due to the symbolic and historical weight of Europe as a space of prosperity and security, and partly to the shock of the images circulating around the world: boats overloaded with young people and families, shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, makeshift camps at the borders, or so-called "jungles" like the one in Calais, France.

These images influence public opinion, fuel political debates, and influence government decisions, both in Europe and Africa.

On the West Coast and in the Sahel, thousands of young people continue to risk their lives in fragile pirogues, braving the Atlantic Ocean toward the Canary Islands or the Iberian Peninsula. The crossing is long and extremely dangerous, but for many, it represents their only hope of escaping unemployment, political instability, or extreme poverty.

It's common to see entire families selling their few possessions to finance a child's trip, hoping that they'll be able to reach Europe and send remittances to support those left behind.

On the East Coast, the route is even more brutal. Many cross the Sahara Desert, where they face deadly temperatures, lack of water, and violence from armed groups. Their final destination is often Libya, which has become one of the largest transit points to Europe, but also a monumental site of horrors: human trafficking rings, illegal detention camps, sexual exploitation, and forced labor.

Although there are several international reports denouncing that migrants in transit through Libya are often sold as modern-day slaves ¹³Amnesty International, “Libya: New evidence shows refugees and migrants trapped in horrific cycle of abuses”, 24 September 2020. ¹⁴Human Rights Watch, “US: Don't Forcibly Transfer Migrants to Libya”, 9 May 2025. , in a reality that shocks with its brutality, this reality remains invisible to much of the world, particularly to Europeans ¹⁵Human Rights Watch, “No Escape from Hell, EU Policies Contribute to Abuse of Migrants in Libya”, 21 January 2019. ¹⁶Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Climate Change 2023: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability”, 2023..

Thus, even if Europe is not the main destination for African migration, public perception and political discourse end up placing it at the center of the issue.

The symbolic impact of thousands of people risking their lives to cross seas and borders exposes not only global inequalities, but also the inability of international structures to offer safe and regular mobility pathways to migrants.

Since the Lampedusa shipwreck in 2013, in which more than 360 people died, the Mediterranean has come to symbolize the migration crisis. ¹⁷B. News, “Lampedusa boat tragedy: Migrants 'raped and tortured'”, BBC News, 8 November 2013.In 2014, more than 3.200 migrants died or went missing during crossings. In 2016, the number peaked at 5.143 lives lost in a single year. ¹⁸T. Barber, “Asylum ruling against Greece exposes Europe's migrants dilemma”, Financial Times, 11 January 2025..

UNICEF estimates that 3.500 children have died or gone missing in the last decade in the central Mediterranean alone, almost one a day. ¹⁹Lusa, “Almost a child dies or disappears (every day) in the Mediterranean”, SIC Notícias, 15 April 2025.These statistics translate into silent mourning, where each missing body represents an interrupted story and a dream that never reached its destination.

Rescue operations have been the subject of controversy. Operation Mare Nostrum, launched by Italy in 2013 to save lives at sea, was replaced by Operation Triton, coordinated by Frontex. However, resources are insufficient, and accusations of negligence are mounting.

Several humanitarian organizations have reported that vessels in distress are often ignored, under the argument that the rescue would serve as an incentive for new departures.

This impasse—between saving lives and discouraging migratory flows—exposes one of the greatest contradictions in the European debate on migration: on the one hand, there is a moral and legal obligation to protect human beings at risk; on the other, the attempt to reduce arrivals at any cost persists. But to understand the scale of this drama, we must look beyond the sea.

The truth is, no one risks their life on a precarious vessel without a compelling reason. The deadly Mediterranean crossings are just the final chapter in stories that begin much earlier, in villages, towns, and countryside ravaged by instability. The causes of migration are multiple and interconnected and help explain why, year after year, thousands of people continue to risk their lives:

1. Sociopolitical factors – civil wars, religious, political, or ethnic persecution. Syria, Libya, and Sudan are examples of countries where millions of people have been forced to flee.
2. Economic and demographic factors – chronic unemployment, low wages and a lack of future prospects are pushing young people out of the country, while the demand for labor in Europe acts as a pulling force.
3. Environmental factors Prolonged droughts, desertification, cyclones, and even agricultural pests are forcing entire populations to abandon their lands. With climate change predicted to worsen, these movements are expected to intensify in the coming decades.

Thus, the Mediterranean, with its daily tragedies, is not the origin, but rather the most visible point of a much deeper problem, whose roots lie in the very heart of Africa and the Middle East.

The 2015 crisis exposed the weaknesses of the European asylum system and divided its member states. Germany alone received around 1,1 million asylum applications in 2015. ²⁰SR Department, “Number of immigrants in Germany 1991-2023”, 13 January 2025. , particularly citizens from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, while others closed their borders and built walls. Hungary, for example, built barriers on the border with Serbia and Croatia.

In recent years, the European trend has been to strengthen border externalization: agreements with countries in North Africa and the Sahel to stop departures even before they reach the Mediterranean. ²¹T. Barber, “Asylum ruling against Greece exposes Europe's migrants dilemma”, Financial Times, 11 January 2025.However, human rights organizations denounce that these policies legitimize abuses, arbitrary arrests, and violence against migrants in countries like Libya and Tunisia.

At the same time, efforts are underway to promote regular migration. Europe needs young workers, and Africa has a rapidly growing youth population. Investing in employment opportunities on the African continent is seen as part of the solution.

The numbers are impressive, but they don't tell the whole story. By 2025, illegal immigration fell 30% in the first quarter, mainly due to a reduction in crossings in the Balkans. Even so, the decrease doesn't mean less suffering. ²²A. Kassam and J. Rankin, “Irregular migrant crossings into Europe fall 30% in first quarter of 2025”, The Gardian, 16 April 2025. ²³International Organization for Migration, “World Migration Report 2024”, 2024..

African migration to Europe is not just a matter of borders, but of human dignity. It is a phenomenon that reflects inequalities between continents: on one side, an aging Europe in need of labor; on the other, a young Africa, with millions of people without job prospects.

The solutions involve regulating flows, combating trafficking networks, investing in Africa, and, above all, respecting human life. As long as children continue to die daily in the Mediterranean, any statistics on declining flows will be nothing more than a cold number in the face of a living tragedy.

The story of African migration to Europe is not new, and it won't end tomorrow. But how it is managed will define not only the future of migrants, but also the image of a Europe that strives to be supportive, humanitarian, and aware of its role in the world.