Aid groups caring for 1,000 rescued migrants aboard three ships in the Mediterranean warned on Thursday of deteriorating conditions, but so far the new far-right Italian government has not responded to calls for help.
As the AP news agency reports, Italy’s new Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has already laid the groundwork for banning humanitarian ships from the country’s ports, while calling on flag countries to send rescue ships to receive to migrants.
Those moves are reminiscent of the stance against non-governmental organizations taken by League party leader Matteo Salvini, now deputy prime minister, who blocked humanitarian ships from accessing Italian ports when he was interior minister in 2018 and 2019.
So far Italy, along with Malta, has remained silent on safe harbor requests from Geo Barents, Doctors Without Borders, with 572 people on board, Ocean Viking, SOS Mediteranee, with 234 people on board, and SOS Humanity’s Humanity 1 , with 179 people rescued.
Those migrants were rescued within a week of Oct. 22.
According to figures provided by the Government, in the last week 6,383 immigrants arrived on Italian shores.
Immigrant arrivals by sea to Italy are rising this year to 85,991 so far, compared to 53,825 in the same period last year, but still well below the peak of arrivals between 2014 and 2016.
The Geo Barents team is striving to accommodate rescued migrants in seven operations starting October 22, including more than 60 unaccompanied minors, families with children, and pregnant and elderly women.
Many are sleeping on the ground and supplies are running low, they warned.
“We are here on board with 572 people, some of whom have been with us for six days,” said Caroline Willemen, coordinator of Doctors Without Borders in Geo Barents.
“As you can see, the situation here on deck is extremely crowded. People don’t have room to move around,” he told the AP.
The official said that “it is absolutely necessary that migrants be able to disembark as quickly as possible, in a safe place.”
“We don’t have enough space to sleep, we are sleeping on the floor and it is very cold in the morning and at night,” Khaled Mahmoud Mansour, a Palestinian, told the AP, adding that “the situation becomes more difficult day by day.” . at daytime”.
After not getting a response from Italy or Malta, SOS Mediteranee also issued safe harbor requests to Greece, Spain and France.
“The 234 people rescued on board must be disembarked urgently,” they said.
European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said she was aware of the three ships with around 1,000 people in need of safe disembarkation, but stressed that she did not coordinate the maritime operations or the landings.
“Saving lives at sea is a moral duty as well as a legal obligation for member states under international law, regardless of the circumstances that have led people to danger at sea,” Hipper told reporters.
Source: TSF
