In the wake of the latest deadly migrant boat incident off the Libyan coast, Malta has once again been accused of ignoring alarms and leaving men, women and children to die. This time the boat that capsized was just outside the Maltese search and rescue (SAR) zone. Once again the Maltese authorities chose to ignore the alarms, some say.
A recent fact-checking investigation into the claim that NGO search and rescue operations act as a pull factor for migrants has concluded that it is 'mostly false'.
Over half of irregular migrants who arrived in Malta in 2022 reportedly came from Asian countries. Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said they originated from places where "no war was taking place".
The new decree introduced by Italy's new far-right government is excepted to significantly limit rescue capacities at sea, making the central Mediterranean migration route even more dangerous. InfoMigrants spoke to three NGOs to understand the impact of these new measures on their work.
On Wednesday, a baby boy was born on board the migrant rescue ship Geo Barents in the central Mediterranean. The baby’s mother fled Libya with her three other sons. A second woman on board was also nine months pregnant. Both have now been evacuated.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called on the EU to place the migration routes in the Mediterranean at the center of its action.
Italy, Malta, Cyprus and Greece sent a joint letter in which they criticize the lack of compliance with agreements by EU member states. Spain makes its own points separately.
Three men onboard the Geo Barents vessel leapt into the water in the port of Catania, but were then quickly pulled from the water. Refugee rights groups have called on Italy to follow international law.
Italy continues to refuse safe harbor to three NGO vessels hoping to dock and unload nearly 1,000 rescued migrants. The situation on board those private rescue ships meanwhile is deteriorating, as Italian politicians renew their calls to have arriving migrants distributed across the EU.
The crew of the Geo Barents carried out four separate rescue operations in the central Mediterranean on Thursday. The NGO ship now has 268 migrants on board.
Vessels operated by private aid organizations have taken aboard dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean by boat, in a string of rescue operations at the weekend. Meanwhile, over 800 migrants were intercepted off the coast of Tunisia, as good weather saw a rise in departures.
A two-week-old baby girl was reported missing after a migrant boat capsized. In several operations, by both NGO rescue ships and Italian military vessels, over 300 people were rescued in the Mediterranean this weekend.