Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli: a new approach to migration management.

Translated by Irene Cecchi

The Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum, held in Tripoli on July 17th 2024, saw both European and African leaders and representatives of 28 countries reunited to discuss the migration crisis. The main goal of the event is to scrutinize the development and cooperation measures to find sustainable solutions for the management of illegal migration flows. Between the participants there were representatives of Malta, Spain, Chad, Tunisia, Niger but also the Arab League, the African Union and the European Union; Egipt, Morocco and France didn’t took part at the event.

During the forum, the Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh stressed the importance of giving the funds to the countries of origin of the migration flows in order to boost their development and stability. Dbeibeh criticized the approach that was carried out in the last 50 years and underlined that Tripoli “is stressed” both from North and South. Just before the forum, the Minister Emad Al-Trabelsi reiterated that the crisis got worse in the last few years and that it was difficult to manage the 2.5 million migrants in Libya.

The same issue was also raised by the PM Dbeibeh that underlined the need for a shared strategy and a collective management of the crisis, stressing also the point of the humanitarian effects of the migration phenomenon. The Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was there with the Minister of the Interior Piantedosi, stated again Italy’s effort facing the roots of migration with a cooperation “peer-to-peer” aligned with the Forum’s principles “as proved by the 2023 Rome Summit and the Piano Mattei”.

Meloni also stressed the importance of working side by side with all countries of origin and transit of migrants emphasizing Italy’s efforts fighting criminal organizations of human traffickers and developing safe and legit migratory routes. The presence of Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was particularly relevant and he seized the opportunity to support innovative solutions and projects to help sending countries since Chad is mainly a transit one. In fact, Dbeibeh stated “Sahel Countries are no longer mere transit countries and the growing number of migrants require a moral and securitarian responsibility to develop global solutions to address the situation immediately and ensure African people a decent life in their home countries”.

What is worrying the PM Meloni and the supporters of the Government of National Unity is the Russian presence in Cyrenaica and Sudan, where she already went in May to discuss the situation with General Haftar. The issue took the spotlight again after the Italian Finance Police, backed by the US Intelligence, confiscated in Gioia Tauro (a port in the Italian region Calabria) arms and Chinese drones’ components headed to Bengasi.

About Malta’s participation, the Prime Minister Robert Abela attended the event on July 16th with the aim of strengthening the relations between La Valletta and Tripoli and renewing the commitment to the 2020 Memorandum against illegal migration. Abela also reiterated the importance of multilateral cooperation to oppose human trafficking organizations.

This Forum proved to be an important opportunity to discuss a new European and Mediterranean approach based on a tight strategic cooperation, with the Sahel Countries in the spotlight. Furthermore, Tripoli’s Government of National Unity tried to take advantage of this event to strengthen its international position and gain more diplomatic and economic support in view of the efforts hindering both endogenous and exogenous factors undermining the precarious political stability, development and security. In this framework, the role of Rome could become more and more fundamental in terms of strengthening the relations and the cooperation with Sahel Countries.

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