Why migrant rescue ships are missing from the Mediterranean
Aid agencies warns thousands of people risk dying at sea because of anti-immigration policies in Europe
NGO migrant rescue ships have been absent from the central Mediterranean for the longest period since they began operating in 2015, according to The Guardian.
Due to a crackdown by European countries, vessels have not been operating in one of the most dangerous sea crossings for refugees and migrants for more than two weeks.
Aid agencies told the newspaper that the anti-immigration policies enforced by governments in Italy and Malta could result in thousands of people dying on the main route from North Africa to Europe.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“This tragedy has been going on for years and is especially bad now,” says Frederic Penard, the director of operations for the NGO SOS Mediterranee. “There are fewer boats, and with fewer boats there are fewer rescues, and there are more deaths.”
Earlier this month, the UN warned that the death rate for migrants attempting to reach Europe has risen even though the numbers trying to make the crossing has fallen.
The report blamed the increase in the death rate on fewer NGO boats being active on the Libyan coast, The Daily Telegraph says.
Despite the decrease in people attempting the journey, the issue remains deeply divisive across southern Europe.
Italy has previously closed its ports to NGO ships carrying rescued refugees and migrants, including unaccompanied children and pregnant women.
The country’s decision, part of the new far-right government’s promise to halt the flow of people into the country, has forced NGOs to dock in other countries or abandon their rescue missions altogether.
The Aquarius, which was forced to detour to Spain after Italy and Malta closed their ports to it, is due to depart from France in the next few days but its NGO operators, MSF and SOS Mediterranee, “cannot guarantee” its constant presence in the sea, The Guardian says.
Under a deal struck between Libya and the Italian authorities in 2017, the North African nation’s coastguard returns rescued refugees and migrants back to the country, where human right groups warn they are detained and mistreated.
“Italy has obtained what it wanted,” said Fulvio Vassallo, an asylum law professor at the University of Palermo. “Rome has managed to get rid of the eyes of the NGOs, who could testify to the abuses of the Libyan coastguard.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the Gaza war tearing U.S. campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
14 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From photos of the infant universe to an energy advancement that could save the planet
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Bizarre pizza toppings horrify Italians
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Being nosy 'helps you live longer'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published