According to the Federal Office for Migration, a total of 2,254 asylum requests were filed in May this year, a 51 percent increase on April, which saw 1,495 applications. Most people come from Eritrea, Tunisia and Macedonia, the office said in a statement.
The increase is likely to stem from the current situation in Libya and in the northern Africa region, it said. A total of 545 Eritreans have applied for asylum in May, 342 Tunisians and 184 Macedonians.
The migrants are mostly fleeing political instability, poverty and a lack of prospects in their home countries, the Office said, but many asylum requests are also the result of family reunifications.
