As Europe gears up for crucial elections in Germany, France and the Netherlands with immigration high on the agenda, the refugee crisis that until last year grabbed prime-time headlines seems to be increasingly relegated to the fringe of mainstream politics.

This, despite tragedies such as the one in Libya, where the bodies of 74 refugees washed up near the western city of Zawiya. Dozens more remain as mere floatsam in the sea, deprived of basic human dignity even in death, since rescuers have found no means to retrieve them.

The rush of refugees to Europe that began in 2015 exposed fault lines across the European Union (EU) — from Greece to Sweden. That divide and the lack of consensus have only been amplified over the years: A refugee relocation scheme agreed upon by the EU has floundered, with member states failing to fulfil their quotas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a pillar of vocal support for welcoming refugees to Europe, faces a tough re-election bid this summer, where she is pitted against the populist narrative of anti-immigration. In pockets of the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom is whipping up xenophobia as a sure-shot pathway to win elections. All across, a general sentiment of pandering to domestic politics ahead of humanitarian or global commitments is pervasive.

Meanwhile, the refugee situation has devolved into the depths of savagery. The traffickers who managed to lure the dozens of prospective migrants on to the boat that washed up near Libya, for instance, took away its engine and left the boat to drift on the choppy waters of the Mediterranean. International aid agencies say seeming apathy has emboldened refugee handlers to order new boats that can carry more people without fulfilling basic safety needs. More than 4,500 refugee deaths were documented in 2016, and Mediterranean crossings recorded an increase of 17 per cent from 2015. In Libya, gangs handling refugees continue to proliferate as the EU’s plans to stem the tide by training the Libyan coast guards and stepping up cooperation with Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt appear to falter.

The refugee crisis is something the international community cannot wish away. On the contrary, as the number of refugees continues to climb and their attempts to cross the Mediterranean become more desperate and dramatic, the political and economic cost of mitigating the situation will also escalate.

Tackling the refugee crisis requires political will to withstand the populist surge of anti-refugee campaigns. But without a workable plan in place, 2017 looks like another year of disaster for the world’s hapless refugees.