The death toll of migrants reached horrific levels last week when about 700 people drowned after a crammed fishing boat overturned off the coast of Libya. Reportedly, refugees fleeing war and poverty are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days, and survivors claim dozens of children are among those feared dead. The week of shipwrecks and death in the Mediterranean culminated with harrowing testimony from refugees who narrowly survived these tragedies. They said hundreds have drowned including at least 40 children. There had been a spate of incidents in the Mediterranean last week. The first one occurred on Wednesday when a boat capsized carrying about 600 people. Then there was a second incident on Thursday, and a third one on Friday. In total, more than 700 people are feared to be drowned. There are a number of boats at the moment trying to make their way from Libya to Italy, and several rescue operations are ongoing. Last year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 3,800 people died or vanished at sea trying to make it to Europe. This year, after accounting for the latest sinking, the number stands above 2,000. They flee violence at the hands of the Islamic State, Nigeria’s Boko Haram, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad or other regional thugs. Along the way they fall into hands of gangs of human traffickers who thrive in the region’s growing lawlessness and destitution. War, repression and government collapse in parts of the Middle East and Africa have caused what many consider to be the worst migration crisis since World War II. In 2015, more than one million migrants tried to enter European Union countries. This year, nearly 200,000 have arrived on Europe’s shores. Another reason is that the Arab world is engulfed in fighting that is likely to last decades, setting entire nations adrift. Unless these conflicts and chaos are not eliminated, no immediate solution to the refugees’ crisis is possible. Long term policies on part of concerned states are needed to end this misery. More efforts need to be done to stop refugees from taking to the sea in small boats. Thousands of desperate souls on these boats are the latest collateral damage, as Europe and America abdicate responsibility for stability in the Middle East and North Africa. Europe should at least do what it can to help the desperate people at sea. In this regard, several states in Europe including Italy, Germany and France have done a commendable job by rescuing and providing shelter to these refugees. But there is a limit to human largesse, and the horror of war cannot be allowed go on forever. No one can alter these tragedies that people get involved in by risking their lives. Rich Arab states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, who are so for acting as a silent spectator, need to come forward and play their role in mitigating the suffering of these poor refugees. A strategic decision to reverse the disorder and chaos engulfing the African and Middle Eastern countries has become imminent to end refugees’ misery once and for all.*