Two German-operated migrant rescue ships with nearly 300 people rescued waited off the east coast of Sicily on Saturday, one with permission to disembark its most vulnerable migrants, while the other responded to a request for a safe harbor none received a response even though it is "critical". conditions on board. The situation describes the chaos and uncertainty resulting from the decision by the far-right Italian government to close its ports to humanitarian rescue ships.
Nearly 1,100 rescued migrants are in aboard four European charity ships stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, some with people rescued on board two weeks ago amid deteriorating conditions.
The ships Humanity 1 and Rise Above, operated by separate German humanitarian groups, were in Italian waters Humanity 1, carrying 179 migrants, received permission to disembark. minors and people in need of medical care, but Rise Above's porting request for its 93 rescued people has so far gone unanswered. As of late afternoon Satu As, there was still no word on when the Humanity 1 evacuations might begin, or on safe harbors for the other ships.
The charity SOS Humanity questioned Italy's decision to single out "vulnerable" migrants, saying they were rescued at sea, which alone qualifies them for safe harbor under international law. Italy's only black lawmaker in the lower house, Aboubakar Soumahoro, said he would join the migrants on the boat if Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government doesn't act soon to help all those stranded at sea. need for urgent medical attention.
The measure was approved after Germany and France called on Italy to provide a safe haven for the migrants, saying they would host some of the migrants so Italy would not shoulder the burden alone. No such provisions have been issued. offered to the other three ships, and both the Geo Barents carrying 572 migrants and the Rise Above entered Italian waters without consent, despite repeated requests for insurance from Port.
The Ocean Viking with 234 migrants remained in international waters south of the Strait of Messina. "We have been waiting for 10 days for a safe place to disembark the 572 survivors," said Juan Mattias Gil, Geo Barents' chief of mission.
Chief Operating Officer Riccardo Gatti said that in addition to suffering from skin and respiratory infections, many on board were stressed from the long time at sea. SOS Humanity alone, which operates Humanity 1, said it had made 19 safe harbor requests, all of which went unanswered. The ship carries 100 unaccompanied minors and babies up to 7 months old.
Italy's new far-right government insists countries whose flags are flown by boats run by charities must take in migrants. At a press conference Friday night, Piantedosi described these ships as "islands" under the jurisdiction of the flag states.
Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, known for his anti-immigrant stance as interior minister in 2018-19, welcomed the new directive he signed alongside Italy's defense and interior ministers. Private NGOs that organize routes, traffic, transport and migration policies," Salvini said in a Facebook video.
Non-governmental organizations strongly contest this interpretation, saying that they are obliged by the law of the sea to rescue people in distress at sea no matter how they learn of their plight, and that coastal states have an obligation to provide a safe port as soon as possible.
"The decree of the Italian Ministry of the Interior is undoubtedly illegal," says Mirka Schaefer, Head of Advocacy at SOS Humanity. “The pushing back of refugees at the Italian border violates the Geneva Refugee Convention and international law.
They set off on unseaworthy boats in search of a better life in Europe and are often tortured by human traffickers along the way.
While humanitarian boats are denied a safe haven, thousands of migrants have washed up on the Italian coast in the past week, either alone on fishing boats or rescued at sea by Italian authorities. The situation at Rise Above was particularly dire, with 93 people crammed aboard the relatively small 25-metre boat.
Spokeswoman Hermine Poschmann described a "very critical situation that... caused a lot of tension" on board because the passengers saw land and didn't understand why they didn't dock.
The ship's chief of mission, Clemens Ledwa, called for an immediate safe port, also citing inclement weather and the small ship's limited capacity. "It's not a wish. It's everyone's right," he said on Friday.
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