THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
In the first month since Germany began enforcing border checks across its land borders, about 1,000 people were denied entry. From 16 September to 20 October, the Federal Police recorded approximately 1,700 unauthorized entry attempts and apprehended around 30 suspected human smugglers, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
While open borders are standard within the Schengen zone, Germany introduced controls along its nine land borders on 16 September to address irregular migration, prevent cross-border crime and enhance protection against potential Islamist threats, stated Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. These expanded measures will remain in effect until 15 March 2025.
Ms Faeser emphasized the need for stricter border checks as an interim solution until the EU’s Common European Asylum System is fully functional, which aims to secure the EU’s external borders more effectively.
So far this year, the Federal Police have recorded 53,410 unauthorized entries at German land borders and have turned back 28,321 persons. Authorities have also reported the arrest of 1,195 suspected human smugglers and documented 1,088 smuggling cases. These statistics do not include checks conducted at airports and seaports.
Unauthorized entry applies to individuals without a valid residence permit or visa attempting to cross the border. Refusal of entry is possible in cases where a person does not apply for asylum, is subject to a re-entry ban, or comes from a country deemed ‘safe’, where prior asylum claims were denied as ‘manifestly unfounded’.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) noted that 179,212 first-time asylum applications were filed in Germany in the first nine months of this year, marking a 23.3% decline compared to the same period last year. Among these applications, 16,172 were submitted on behalf of children under one year of age born in Germany.
It’s worth noting that Germany isn’t alone in reinstating border controls. This year, 10 other countries within the open-border Schengen area have also reinstated border controls, citing reasons such as combating terrorism and managing irregular immigration.
Adira Kallo
