LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to data published by the United Nation’s refugee agency UNHCR only 231 people arrived by boat in Malta between 1 January and 13 August 2023 while only 282 individuals applied for asylum in the first six months. 84% of arrivals departed from Libya, while the remaining 16% departed from Tunisia. Of the 2023 arrivals, 65% (149) were Bangladeshi, 9% (21) were Syrian, 8% (19) were Guinean, 7% (17) were Cameroonian, 6% (13) were Egyptian, 2% (5) were Sudanese, and 1% (3) each were Palestinian and South Sudanese. The nationality of one person is unknown as it was not possible to register him due to his medical condition.
UNHCR said this marks a change in the composition of nationalities of arrivals in comparison to 2022, where 51% of arrivals were Bangladeshi, 28% were Syrian and 8% were Egyptian.
The majority of arrivals so far in 2023 were adult males (84% (195), compared to 65% in 2021 and 80% in 2022), UNHCR said. Additionally, 7% (16) were adult women and 9% (20) were children, two of whom were accompanied, and 18 of whom were alleged unaccompanied minors at the time of disembarkation.
In the first six months of this year, Malta received 282 applications for asylum, of which 225 were first-time applications, 54 were subsequent applications, and 3 were re-opened or reviewed. Nationals from Bangladesh, Sudan, and Syria were amongst the top three nationalities applying. Analysis shows that the average waiting time for a first-instance decision (substantive, grant, or rejection) issued in 2023 was over 2 years.
– Photo: Angenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
