A Refugee "Crisis": Where Are Migrants Fleeing From and Why?

A “crisis” as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention” or “an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending.” It is important to define what a “crisis” truly is in relation to the refugee situation stemming from the Middle East and East Africa. For many, the term “crisis” attached to the refugee situation is in response to the European Union’s reaction to the influx of immigrants from conflict-ravaged regions. Rather, the addition of “crisis” to the mass migration of refugees should be in regard to the situations in which they are escaping - the difficult times in which they live. These refugees are fleeing nations under siege and struggle; nations such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq in the Middle East and Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea in Northern Africa. In the following posts, we will discuss in further depth where these refugees are fleeing from, and why they are seeking asylum. Here, we will give you a brief introduction on how this crisis came about, and what implications it may have on the rest of the world.

The refugee “crisis” in the Middle East mainly involves refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, but also includes a significant amount of people fleeing other countries, mainly Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and others. Syrian refugees make up the majority of displacement, with over million people being displaced since what can be marked as the beginning of this “crisis.” The Arab Spring, which began in December of 2010, was a series of uprisings in Middle Eastern and North African countries, beginning in Tunisia, where a young street vendor set himself on fire, in protest of difficult economic situations and issues with an autocratic and corrupt government, not only in Tunisia but in other countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria. In the case of Syria, many people assembled and protested peacefully. However, things changed when 15 boys were arrested and tortured in Syria for graffiti that supported the Arab Spring movement. A 13 year-old who was among those arrested was killed after being tortured. The government attempted to crush these protests by killing and arresting many of the protestors. Military personnel in Syria proceeded to defect from the government, and form the Free Syrian Army, aimed at overthrowing the Syrian Government. Conflict between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Government led to civil war. As a result of the civil war, and other conflicts, such as terrorist organizations like ISIS fighting for control in Syria, have ultimately pushed the millions of people out of the country and away from the violence, to European countries, seeking asylum. Germany and Hungary have taken on many of the refugees, and other countries such as Italy, France, Finland and Sweden have also taken in many refugees.

While Europe struggles under the pressure of sustaining the mass influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, the dire need of aid for African refugees goes unnoticed. BBC’s "Map of the European Migrant Crisis" lists the most common ethnicity of Europe’s asylum seekers; among the top ten include Nigeria and Eritrea. Nigeria, a country notably more recognized than its partner, Eritrea, rests in West Africa, while Eritrea struggles along the eastern coast. Emigrants of Nigeria are fleeing the oppression of a governing jihadist group: Boko Haram. Although ISIS has created the brand as the most fearsome and ruthless extremist group in the media, it is important to remember that it is not the only evil. Boko Haram, in fact, began its active pledge to jihad much earlier than the Islamic State did. In 2014, Boko Haram exceeded ISIS’ death toll by over 600. Nigeria’s acting government has lost power, deeming it a failed state, as Boko Haram gained in reputation. Many remember First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama’s Twitter campaign #BringBackOurGirls attempted to raise awareness of the kidnapping of two hundred school girls by the extremist group, whose name means "Western education is a sin." The horrors of the underdeveloped world, creating the “crisis” in westernized Europe, cause global hurt, and will continue to do so until the world arrives at peace.

Refugees sought asylum and shelter in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan while countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain refused the entrance to refugees. Basic resources became so scarce that refugees had to seek asylum even further, heading to countries in Europe. Little did everyone know that the European Union was not economically prepared for such a catastrophe. International Law states that a refugee must stay in the state he/she has arrived to first. Greece couldn’t do much to aid the influx of refugees as the country is experiencing its own economic depression.  Also, fear arose from the European population; fear of asylum-seekers overtaking the native population in upcoming years and the fear of future problems arising with so many displaced people. Luckily, the media has changed this perception for so many people across the world. Through the use of media, the world can see what is happening on the streets of Syria and how it is affecting the people who once lived there.  The United Kingdom said it would only accept 20,000 refugees for the next five years. Furthermore, Britain decided to leave the European Union, also known as Brexit, mostly to stop the influx of refugees. This issue took place during the summer of 2016 making top news worldwide. Cameron says he wants, “more controls on immigration from new member states, limits on benefits for immigration, more powers for national parliaments to block EU legislation, less red tape, faster trade deals, power returned to member states and an end to ever closer union” (Global Counsel 2015, Gregor Irwin). On top of that, the European Union came to an agreement with Turkey in which it states that asylum seekers who seek refuge in Greece are to be sent back; in hopes of easing the migrant crisis through the use of the Aegean. The agreement states that Turkey will receive $6.6 billion for organizations who look after the migrants plus visa-free travel and a possible restart to Turkey’s membership in the European Union. Oddly, the United Nations refugee agency is not in accordance with this agreement. Last year, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to accept as many refugees as possible and scatter them through Europe, which is another reason this agreement was made. She then took action and helped develop the plan because her own country and much of the Continent have disagreed with her decision of unlimited access to refugees.

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