photo Credit, AFP
Hundreds of African migrants are killed every year trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
The head of the UN refugee agency has called on Europe to be generous and welcoming to other migrants, as it has done to Ukrainian refugees following the deaths of dozens of African migrants at sea.
The announcement comes after 90 people were killed in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea when an overcrowded boat capsized Libya.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontieres said only four people had been rescued from the raft on Saturday.
UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said Europe has welcomed refugees from Ukraine “generously and with efficiency” and should consider doing the same for other refugees.
“It must now urgently think about how to apply this measure to other refugees and migrants who are in distress, knocking on its door,” he tweeted Sunday.
In recent years, thousands of African migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better life in Europe.
Some manage to reach their destination, but hundreds of them die each year during dangerous journeys in overcrowded and often in poor condition boats.
The European Union has been criticized for its close cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard to reduce the number of migrants arriving on European shores.
Many migrants face further severe abuse in detention centers in Libya during their return journey.
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