Al-Wasat reported this Thursday evening that the catastrophic budget cuts in the international commission are indeed pushing thousands of migrants to move towards Europe. Filippo Grandi called on European capitals to fund existing asylum facilities in Africa instead of working on creating new systems. He added that there is growing evidence of migrants now moving north towards Libya and then to Europe, instead of staying within neighboring Sudan or Chad.
Grandi emphasized that the budget cuts imposed on the UN agency by donors are catastrophic in terms of managing these flows, and ignoring developments in African countries is a major strategic mistake. It is noted that the budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has seen a sharp decline after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced his country’s funding from $2 billion to about $390 million this year.
Similarly, European countries like France, Italy, and Germany have reduced their support for the UN agency, exacerbating the crisis. This has led the UN agency to lay off a third of its staff and halt programs worth $1.4 billion. Libya is one of the main crossing points for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe, placing it at the heart of regional and international efforts to control and manage migration.
In this context, reports have emerged indicating that some international organizations are moving towards implementing programs to integrate migrants, including settling thousands of them in Libya, which has stirred widespread debate in Libyan political circles.
