GENEVA: An estimated 18,000 irregular migrants have reached Europe by land this year, a more than seven-fold increase compared to the same period in 2017, the United Nations said on Friday.

The most popular route is from Turkey to Greece, which accounted for more than 12,000 land arrivals from January to early September, the International Organisation for Migration said. Of the remaining 6,000, most have entered Europe via Cueta and Melilla, two Spanish territories attached to northern Morocco that mark the European Union’s only land border with Africa.

The upsurge in land arrivals has coincided with a fall in the number of people trying to reach Europe by sea, as the Libyan coast guard has stepped up Mediterranean patrols seeking to block migrant ships.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018