A total of 5,750 persons attempted to reach Europe through its external borders in March (about 4 per cent increase), more than twice compared to March last year figures, a recent report of the European Union Protection Border Agency Frontex reveals.

According to the report, the number of the illegal border crossing at Europe’s external borders marked a seven per cent decrease during the first three months of 2021, compared to a year ago figures, to about 24,000, mainly due to a decline in arrivals in Eastern and Western Mediterranean, StudyinPoland.Info reports.

About 1,000 persons attempted to enter Canary Island during last month unlawfully, over twice more than March 2020 figures.

During the first quarter of this year, over 3,300 migrants attempted to enter the Canary Islands, more than double compared to the same period in 2020.

Nationals from sub-Saharan countries, especially those from Mali and Ivory Coast, made the largest number of arrivals.

In March, the number of persons who attempted to enter Europe through the Central Mediterranean marked about a four-fold increase to nearly 1,800 compared to a year ago figures.

From January until March 2021, the number of illegal crossings on this road more than doubled to about 8,450, according to the Frontex report.

Tunisians and citizens from Ivory Coast made the top two nationalities detected on this migratory road.

“There were around 1,050 detections of illegal border crossings in the Western Mediterranean in March, nearly twice the figure from the same month of 2020. The total for the first three months of 2021 stood at around 2,700, or 8 per cent less than in the same period in the previous year,” the report reveals.

Citizens of Algeria accounted for three of every five detections in the Western Mediterranean route, through which they intended to reach European countries. Most of the remaining arrivals were made by Moroccans.

As for the Eastern Mediterranean route, nearly 1,850 persons attempted to cross this road illegally in March, a 43 per cent decline compared to figures less than a year ago.

Between January and March of this year, the number of detections decreased by 71 per cent to about 3,300. In March, citizens of Syria and Turkey accounted for the largest number of detections on this route.

Fewer than 100 detections of illegal frontier crossings were reported in March, on the Western Balkan, based on Frontex’s report.

“In the first quarter of this year, nearly 6000 migrants were detected at the EU’s border with the Western Balkan countries, roughly in line with the total from the same period of 2020,” the report reads.

Nationals of Syria and Afghanistan were interested the most to enter Europe through Western Balkan road during March 2021.

Previously Frontex reported that the number of illegal border crossings on Europe’s main migratory roads decreased by nearly half in March, compared to February figures.