Overview
- The International Organization for Migration reports at least 655 people dead or missing in January–February 2026, more than double a year earlier and the highest for that period since records began in 2014.
- Between 15 and 25 January, three shipwrecks between Libya and Tunisia caused 104 fatalities on the central Mediterranean route.
- Frontex cites extreme conditions from Storm Harry, notes roughly a 50% drop in detected irregular arrivals, and warns of criminal networks sending people in unseaworthy boats.
- Researchers say efforts to block departures and deals involving Tunisia and Libya have shifted launch points to places such as Misrata and Bizerte, lengthening voyages and reducing visibility to rescuers.
- NGOs report Italian disembarkation rules and administrative hurdles force immediate landings at distant ports, curbing capacity, while experts add that shrinking legal pathways drive reliance on smugglers and that official death counts likely understate the toll.