The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), has announced that over 2,000 migrants have died while journeying to Europe this year and it fears that the death toll may continue to increase for the rest of the year. The deadliest attack yet, occurred last week when almost 1,000 people lost their lives in the ship wrecks off the Libyan and Italian coasts. For those that make it safely to Europe, the strict immigration policies put in place make it difficult for the successful integration of migrants into their new society.

Statistics show that majority of the migrants come from Middle Eastern and African countries. Many of these countries are torn apart by war, oppression by the government and terrorism. Not all Africans fleeing from the continent, which is more tainted with tyranny and religious extremism, qualify for asylum. Therefore, they go through illegal routes in unsafe boats, risking their lives. This is a contributing factor to the escalating number of deaths. However, with all of this disturbing data, not much has been done by the African Union (AU) to address the crisis or even proffer possible solutions.

At the Valletta summit, which took place in November, 2015, European and African Heads of State addressed the challenges of migration. At the conference, the EU and AU worked out a partnership which would provide solutions to this global problem. The action plan was supposed to address the causes of forced displacement, migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Policies were meant to be put in place to enhance legal migration and safeguard migrants and asylum seekers.

However, while the European Union has put policies in place to accommodate a limited number of migrants, member states of the AU have done nothing to secure their borders. The AU has been indifferent and is yet to take any proactive steps to understand why Africans are fleeing the continent. As a body which aims to seek promote peace, security, and stability in Africa, it is time to call a summit where African leaders can work together to devise ways of curtailing the ills that trail Africans as they make their journey across borders.

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