The Italian government accepted the disembarkation of some of the 179 migrants rescued by the humanitarian ship humanity at sea, the most vulnerable, while others were rejected and left on board, in a new deadlock with NGOs saving lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy allowed the disembarkation of 155 migrants rescued by this ship days ago, mostly children and women, while another 24, adult males without medical problems, are still in the ship, docked in the port.
Those who disembarked were housed in tents in the harbor of the southern Sicilian city of Catania, according to media reports.
The new Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, launched a fight against NGO ships, which it accuses of promoting illegal immigration, and closed its ports to them, as Matteo Salvini, the current vice president, did in 2018.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had suggested that not everyone should be allowed to disembark, but that technical teams would be sent to the ships to “check” the state of emergency of the castaways and then decide whether to disembark.
That is what happened tonight, when the German-flagged Humanity 1 entered the port of Catania, escorted by a coastguard frigate to undergo this “inspection”.
Aboubakar Soumahoro, deputy and activist, went on the scene and said on the networks that “selecting shipwrecked persons violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
“Human life must always come first. We must protect the health of all people and ensure that they can apply for asylum. Anyone who lands in Italy comes to Europe,” he said.
The intention of the Italian government is now, according to Minister Piantedosi, to force humanity 1 to return to international waters after this selective landing.
Interior Minister and Vice President Salvini have already signed a decree that prohibits the vessel from remaining in national waters “more than the time necessary to provide assistance to people suffering from emergencies or precarious health conditions”.
In addition to Humanity 1, near the Italian island of Sicily, there are three other ships carrying more than 800 migrants who have been rescued at sea for days and weeks, suffering the effects of the cold and exhausted from their journey from the coasts of North Africa.
Two are in Italian territorial waters, as the government has allowed them to shelter from the storm, the Geo Barentsz of MSF with 572 rescued and Norwegian flag, and Rise Above with the German flag and 93 ( two had been evacuated yesterday for medical reasons).
While a fourth ship, the Ocean Viking, owned by SOS Méditerranée with 234 other migrants on board and the Norwegian flag, remains outside the 12-mile limit of the city of Catania.
Italy wants the flag countries – Germany and Norway – to take care of these immigrants and force an agreement at European level for their redistribution on the continent.
Source: DN
