Crescendos in the Trans-Saharan European Migration and the Lessons for Counter-Trafficking Efforts
Adeleye Lewis Olatunji | September 22 | 9:00-10:00 AM | Room 2582
The significance of the Sahara Desert to global security is beyond the representation of the entire region as an empty terrain. Through that same landscape, myriads of nuisance have evolved, from the latent stage to the point where the global curiosity and concerns became heightened. The Trans-Sahara Migration is not just a threat to the survival and balance of Africa, it is one single and biggest challenge threatening the survival of the greatest and the most successful supranational coalition in the world, the European Union, and by connection, every developed nation. Understanding the activities of the regions around the Sahara Desert and the opportunistic illicit transactions that exist in the area is key to finding a universal management plan to the quagmire of issues emanating from the region. The expedition of migrants, potential victims of human trafficking, and refugees aiming to cross the Mediterranean must take them through the North African region. Between the many points of entry and the point of the final voyage in the North Africa, migrants go through trades and activities that keep emerging with history and time. Although Libya remains a traditional route amongst migrants and refugees, the challenges through the Sahara Desert and Libya is as dangerous as the voyage of the Mediterranean. Theoretical analyses have been conducted on the changes in the activities of the organized syndicate groups using these routes over the years, the cultural mindsets of the receiving hosts, and the profiteering that accrues along this axis. Such analyses open up more opportunity for greater scholarship that can fill the existing gaps in security and migration studies.
Presentation Objectives:
· Explain Trans-Saharan European migration
· Discuss the dangers to potential victims of human trafficking and refugees who make this migration
· Address some of the gaps in security