The High Season of Illegal Migration: Gaps Used for People Smuggling through Egypt

Author: Ahmed Hassan Shalaby

Media: Almasri Alyoum, EGYPT

Date of publication: August 18, 2017

Short Summary: As growing dangers and increased EU pressure to stop illegal migration from Libya are redirecting part of the flow via Egypt local smugglers use bribery and camouflage techniques to smuggle migrants to Europe through the Mediterranean. Migration Media Award winning reporter Ahmed Hassan Shalaby exposes the links between smugglers and corrupt border guards, looks at the “innovative” ways of hiding migrants in hidden boat sections such as refrigerator rooms; and talks to a former commander of the Egyptian border security who describes the challenges of fighting the smugglers and comments on the EU policy of providing development aid to African countries in order to prevent illegal migration.

Link to original publication (in Arabic)

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Shalaby Egypt

Ahmed Hassan Shalaby is the winner of the First Place Migration Media Award in Print Category, Arabic.

This story is developed with OPEN Media Hub support and follows up on his  award winning piece, Children’s Bodies: “Visa” for Crossing to the European Heaven.