European countries have been inundated with the challenge of confronting the reality of the growing number of refugees seeking asylum and resettlement away from their war torn countries, hoping to find safety and new opportunities.

There seems to be no disparity on who is a refugee or an asylum seeker, as the United Nations, UN, says a refugee is someone fleeing armed conflict or persecution while an asylum seeker is someone applying for a refugee status and waiting to hear the result of their claim. The critical question is why do the different European countries treat refugees differently?

Slovakia would only accept Christians, saying Muslims would not fit in as there are no mosques, the United Kingdom has refused to even participate in the EU’s resettlement scheme, Sweden is taking the most asylum seekers per capita while Germany is quadrupling the number of refugees it would accept.

The Netherlands wants to cut off food and shelter for migrants who fail to qualify as refugees. However Angela Markel has called for a common EU refugee policy in order for them to share the burden, a task which would definitely be difficult to achieve.

The refugee crisis is mainly attributed to the war ravaging Syria which has cost loss of lives for the past five years. The unbearable conditions and terror of armed conflicts and persecution have forced innocent civilians to flee from their land. Some other refugees from Africa are also motivated to take the deadly trip across the Mediterranean in search of new opportunities and greener pastures.

Human rights groups estimate more than 12,000 children have died in the Syrian civil war and millions have been displaced.

The EU has been criticized for their lopsided reactions towards tackling the growing refugee crisis. Sigmar Gabriel, German Vice Chancellor, described EU’s actions as embarrassing and super awkward. See Nigerians crossing into Europe: http://www.post-nigeria.com/the-refugee-crisis-is-an-embarrassment-to-europe/

Mercy Lord Jesus

Africa has no right to open their mouth to condenm them, you limpdick! Tell me, what move has the AU made to help this people? Besides, you just wrote the same ish I keep hearing on BBC