Alarm Phone activists have visited Côte d’Ivoire to honour migrants who died while attempting to reach the European Union and protest what the organisation described as deadly European border policies.

In a series of posts on X, the organisation, which provides independent support to people attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, said the increasingly restrictive border policies were forcing migrants to take more dangerous routes.

“AlarmPhone activists were in #Côted’Ivoire to pay tribute to those who died while attempting to reach the ‘fortress’ #UE and to protest against the deadly border policies that force increasingly dangerous routes,” the organisation said.

Alarm Phone said its activists stood alongside families mourning relatives who lost their lives during migration journeys, stressing that the deaths at sea were a consequence of policies that leave migrants with limited safe options to reach Europe.

“Standing alongside the families who mourn the loss of their loved ones!” the organisation said.

The group renewed its call for freedom of movement and the creation of safe routes for people seeking to enter the European Union.

“We demand #FreedomOfMovement for all and safe passages!” it said.

According to Alarm Phone, providing safe and legal routes is essential to preventing further deaths in the Mediterranean, where migrants and refugees continue to undertake dangerous sea crossings in search of safety and better living conditions.

“It is the only way to put an end to mass deaths at sea,” the organisation said.

The comments come amid continued concerns over deaths and disappearances involving migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean, with rights groups repeatedly calling on European governments to expand safe migration pathways and strengthen search-and-rescue efforts.

Alarm Phone has consistently urged European authorities to prioritise the protection of human life and ensure that people attempting to cross the Mediterranean are not left without assistance.

La Méditerranée est transformée en « cimetière par politique », alors que les politiques migratoires européennes continuent de privilégier l’interception, la détention et l’expulsion au détriment de la protection des vies humaines, a déclaré le chercheur Jihed.

Jihed, chercheur en doctorat spécialisé dans la bioprotection des plantes, a tenu ces propos dans une série de publications sur X, commentant les décès et les interceptions de migrants le long des côtes libyennes.

Selon lui, quatre corps ont été retrouvés jeudi 21 août à différents endroits le long de la côte de Tajoura, en Libye.

« Quatre êtres humains. Et pourtant, l’Europe continue de célébrer la “baisse des arrivées” comme un succès », a écrit Jihed, estimant que ces décès étaient liés à l’externalisation des contrôles migratoires européens.

Il a décrit la situation comme un cycle récurrent d’« interceptions, détention, expulsion et corps sur le rivage », avertissant que la Méditerranée devenait de plus en plus un cimetière pour les migrants qui tentent de rejoindre l’Europe.

Jihed a également attiré l’attention sur la poursuite des interceptions menées par les forces de sécurité dans l’est de la Libye.

Il a déclaré que vers 3 heures du matin, heure locale, le 20 août, les forces spéciales Al-Saiqa avaient intercepté une embarcation transportant 24 personnes à environ quatre milles nautiques au large d’Al-Bardi.

Environ deux heures et demie plus tard, vers 5 h 30, une autre embarcation transportant 55 personnes aurait été interceptée à environ 20 milles nautiques au large d’Al-Bardi.

Le chercheur a affirmé que ces incidents montraient que les opérations d’interception dans l’est de la Libye se poursuivaient quotidiennement, exposant ensuite les migrants à la détention et à l’expulsion.

« La machine à intercepter dans l’est de la Libye ne s’arrête pas », a déclaré Jihed, considérant ces opérations répétées comme la preuve de la poursuite d’un cycle d’interception, de détention et d’expulsion le long de la route migratoire de la Méditerranée centrale.

Ses commentaires interviennent alors que persistent les inquiétudes concernant la sécurité et le traitement des migrants et des demandeurs d’asile en Libye, tandis que les pays européens continuent de coopérer avec les États d’Afrique du Nord pour empêcher les migrants d’atteindre les côtes européennes.

The Mediterranean is being turned to a “cemetery by policy” as European migration policies continue to prioritise interceptions, detention and deportations over the protection of human lives, researcher Jihed, a PhD researcher on bioprotection of plants  has said.

In a series of posts on X, Jihed said four bodies were recovered from different locations along the coast of Tajoura, Libya, on Thursday, August 21.

“Four human beings. And still Europe celebrates ‘fewer arrivals’ as a success,” the researcher wrote, arguing that the deaths were a consequence of the externalisation of European migration controls.

He described the situation as a cycle of “interceptions, detention, deportation and bodies on the shore,” warning that the Mediterranean was increasingly becoming a graveyard for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Jihed also highlighted continued interceptions by security forces in eastern Libya.

According to him, at about 3:00 a.m. local time on August 20, Al-Saiqa Special Forces intercepted a boat carrying 24 people approximately four nautical miles off Al-Bardi.

About two and a half hours later, at 5:30 a.m., the forces reportedly intercepted another boat carrying 55 people around 20 nautical miles off Al-Bardi.

The researcher said the incidents illustrated how the interception operation in eastern Libya continues on a daily basis, with migrants subsequently facing detention and deportation.

“The interception machine in eastern Libya does not stop,” Jihed said, adding that the repeated operations demonstrate the continuing cycle of interception, detention and deportation along the central Mediterranean migration route.

His comments come amid continuing concerns over the treatment and safety of migrants and asylum seekers in Libya, as European countries increasingly rely on cooperation with North African states to prevent migrants from reaching European shores.