At least 170 people from North Africa are feared dead, after their boats sank in the Mediterranean Sea this past week during attempts to reach Europe.

The United Nations Refugee Agency said more than 4,500 people have made the journey already this month, despite some European countries closing their borders.

Italy said it will keep its ports closed in an attempt to deter human traffickers. Charlie Yaxley with the United Nations Refugee Agency said there’s been little progress and a fundamental lack of humanity from European countries dealing with the issue.

To discuss all of this:

• Camille Le Coz is a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute Europe.
• Marco Gombacci is a political analyst and founder of The European Post.
• Mohamed Eljarh is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Libya Outlook- Research and Consultancy.
• Hamoud Salhi is a professor of political science and associate dean of International Education at California State University Dominguez Hills.

For more:

"The migrant problem has many causes," the far-right Italian minister said. "In Africa, some take away wealth from the people and the Continent. France is certainly among them. ” https://t.co/DdKLMujk4B pic.twitter.com/q0iEwCK88K

— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) January 22, 2019

UN rebukes Europe for turning away rescued migrants  Business Day Geneva — UN aid agencies criticised European countries on Tuesday for not allowing migrants to disembark at safe ports, after more than 140 peop… https://t.co/tClCHXUifq via @theafricamentor #africabiz #business pic.twitter.com/AMm70fw3Iz

— Africa Mentor (@TheAfricaMentor) January 23, 2019