On Wednesday, the eerie calm surrounding the migration issue was shattered as news filtered through of another tragedy in the Mediterranean.

An Irish Navy vessel patrolling off the shore of Libya responded to a distress call and steamed at full speed to the scene. As soon as the vessel came within visible distance of a rickety old sea trawler, hundreds of migrants rushed to the side of the said vessel, causing it to capsize.

Within seconds, hundreds of people were thrown into the water. Hundreds more were probably locked in the hold of the boat and went down with her. It is understood that some 367 people, including a number of children were plucked from the water as aircraft were diverted from patrol patterns to drop life vests and life rafts to the multitude of people that were splashing about in the deep blue sea, trying to stay afloat. At the last official count, some 25 corpses were recovered from  the sea.

Initial estimates show that between 400 and 600 people were on the boat when it suddenly went belly up. But we will never know for sure. No doubt, the next step will be to organise a minute’s silence in various European countries, coupled with statements of remorse and a need to stop these tragedies. We might even be regaled with yet another EU extraordinary summit. But to what end?

The tide is not being stemmed. The measures that were agreed on in the last summit have hardly scratched the surface of the problem, although it must be said that a lot more lives have been saved since Frotnex’s Triton Operation was beefed up in terms of scope and complement of vessels. The NGO vessels which are in the Mediterranean are also doing sterling work. But at present, we are merely dealing with the fallout. Mopping up, in military parlance.

The root causes of famine, war, inequality and poverty in Africa are not being dealt with. After hundreds of years of raping the Continent, European leaders tried to chaperone African nations and tried to throw money at the problem. That did not work as corrupt regime leaders siphoned off money to their own bank accounts. When those regime leaders were toppled, warmongers and warlords who were even more power and money hungry took over, plunging the country into even more despair. Those warlords were then toppled by terrorist groups. As the Koney’s of this world disappeared, we saw the emergence of Al Shabab and Boko Haram, creating more and more misery for those who lived in Africa. Through Iraq and Libya, Europe and the West seems to have finally learned that you cannot parachute a democracy into a country that was run by tyranny. Equally, it has forgotten its own painful lessons of the transition into democracy from a regime.

Sad as it sounds, Africa must go through this painful transition. We can already see what has happened in Syria. There is no right or wrong answer. Intervention does not help. Leaving the situation alone and remaining aloof also does not help and that approach helped create the rise of Islamic State. So what is the solution? The only one that seems viable is that of creating a human corridor, administered by the United Nations that would allow for legal migration. This does not have to be limited to the EU, but should involve the whole world. The UN should establish quotas and these should be adhered to. Failure to adopt such an approach will only continue to fuel the steady flow of migrants that take to boats in trying to find a better life. The tide will not stop. But offering a legal avenue might at least help manage the problem.