Greek authorities confirm a group of 39 migrants, including two minors, reached Crete's southern coast from the Libyan port of Tobruk, with a 20-year-old South Sudanese migrant suspected of steering the boat facing smuggling charges.
Greek authorities confirmed on Wednesday (March 18) that a group of 39 migrants arrived on the southern coast of Crete after an extended sea crossing from northern Africa.
According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, the group was located on Tuesday (March 17), having departed several days earlier from Tobruk in eastern Libya. The migrants -- 36 men and two minors -- are reported to have paid smugglers to cross the Mediterranean in a small boat.
A 20-year-old man from South Sudan was arrested and is suspected of operating the boat on behalf of a Libya-based migrant-smuggling network. He faces charges of facilitating unlawful entry into Greece and endangering the lives of the passengers.
Cases like this have become increasingly common, as smugglers recruit migrants -- often offering reduced fees or threatening them -- to steer overcrowded vessels, exploiting their desperation while minimizing their own risks.
Read AlsoSudan: Massive displacement after more than 1,000 days of war
Crete route as key pathway
The route from Libya to Crete is emerging as a key pathway for irregular arrivals to Europe. Though longer and more hazardous than the crossings from Turkey to the eastern Aegean islands, increased monitoring in the Aegean appears to be redirecting smuggling activity toward this southern corridor.
Data from the United Nations indicates that over 2,000 migrants have reached Crete so far this year, compared with about 1,900 who arrived via the eastern Aegean route from Turkey. In total, approximately 5,400 people have entered Greece irregularly since the start of 2026, including those crossing by land.
Last year, Crete and the neighboring island of Gavdos saw approximately 20,000 arrivals, a 400 percent increase from 2024 (which saw 4,935 confirmed arrivals). The numbers peaked last summer with over 7,300 arriving in the first half of the year. Experts also attribute the rise in numbers of arrivals on the island to favorable weather, ongoing conflicts on the African continent, and limited Libyan interdiction, particularly from eastern Libya.
A recent report from the Mixed Migration Centre about the route from Bangladesh, via Libya to Italy found that most Bangladeshis are flying in to eastern Libya via semi-regular means, buying arrival permits from the authorities in eastern Libya. MMC authors surmise that the regime in eastern Libya, under Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar is keen to increase revenues and selling entry and work permits is a lucrative revenue stream. The authors further surmise that Haftar is effectively using migration and migrant departures as a bargaining chip with the EU, to leverage funds, support and influence for his regime, in return for controlling departures.
The dangers migrants face on this longer crossing became apparent on March 1, when at least four migrants died and ten more went missing after a boat with 31 people capsized off Tobruk in eastern Libya en route to Crete. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports at least 682 confirmed deaths or disappearances in the Mediterranean so far in 2026 -- the deadliest start to any year on record -- with the true toll likely to be higher due to "invisible shipwrecks" lacking distress signals.
Read AlsoCrete and Gavdos among Greek Islands with highest migrant sea arrivals
Increasing pressure due to instability
The Greek government, led by prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has implemented some of Europe's strictest migration policies since 2025 to counter rising numbers on the Libya-Crete route. These include a 90-day asylum suspension for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa (July-October 2025, selectively extended into 2026), detention periods of up to 24 months for rejected claims, two to five-year prison terms for those who fail to leave within 14 days, and strengthened cooperation with Libya's Coast Guard alongside the deployment of Frontex drones and Greek navy patrols targeting Tobruk departures.
Greek authorities have noted that continued instability in parts of the Middle East may contribute to renewed migration pressures toward Europe, following the US/Israel conflict with Iran.
Earlier this month, Mitsotakis warned that in this unpredictable international climate, governments must base policy decisions on national interests rather than ideology. Noting the strategic advantage of internal political stability during global geopolitical shifts: "The main concern of the government is that in the uncharted waters of international developments, the country has a steady hand on its helm," he said.
Amid these rising tensions, Greece continues to be a primary entry point into the European Union. During 2015, at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis, nearly one million people entered the country, many transiting onward to other EU member states.
Officials warned that elevated regional tensions could lead to similar migratory patterns in the months ahead, requiring ongoing attention to border management and humanitarian response planning.
Read AlsoEU asylum claims drop 19 percent amid Iran war warnings