The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has called on EU member states to relaunch a naval rescue operation in the Mediterranean. The body, which is not related to the European Union, highlighted that it is the duty of EU member states "not to let people drown in the Mediterranean."
Libya's coast guard rescued 71 migrants stuck at sea over the weekend. While none of them were hurt, some required medical attention upon their return to Libya, according to reports. The migrants have reportedly since left the care of Libyan authorities.
Rwanda has welcomed 66 refugees from other African nations, who had been stuck under dangerous conditions in Libya. The central African country is expected relocate thousands of people stranded in Libya under a new program. However, there are already questions about the future of the program.
In one week, a total of 493 migrants from sub-Saharan, Arab and Asian countries were collected by Libya's controversial coast guard. They are now in four detention centers in and around Tripoli that are known for overcrowded, inhumane and insecure conditions.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said a Sudanese man died from a gunshot wound in Libya when a group of migrants resisted being sent to a detention center. They were returned to shore by Libya's coast guard after a failed attempt to get to Europe. The IOM demands "alternatives to detention."
A report released by the United Nations in early September accused Libyan local and state authorities of being involved in human trafficking. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in the report that both local and state authorities in Libya are involved in the human trafficking of migrants. The UN said that the information it had received in order to write the report was "credible."
Italian authorities have arrested three people accused of detaining and torturing dozens of migrants, who were hoping to travel to Italy, at a camp in Libya. The three suspects face charges including human trafficking.
In war-torn Libya, a major transit point for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the situation for the close to 5,000 refugees and migrants stuck in detention centers is still hostile. On Thursday September 12, 98 refugees were taken to Italy, the latest transfer in a larger effort to evacuate the north African country's overcrowded and unsafe facilities.
Hundreds of refugees trapped in Libyan detention centers are to be evacuated to Rwanda, the UN has announced. A first group of 500 refugees and asylum seekers are expected to be transferred in the coming weeks.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has voiced concern for a number of policies carried out by European countries which she feels express a “lethal disregard” for migrants. In a speech on Monday, Bachelet said actions by some European countries to criminalize NGOs have had “deadly consequences for adults and children seeking safety.”
The private rescue ship, Ocean Viking operated by Doctors without borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee, picked up a further 34 people in the Mediterranean in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The migrants had issued a distress call on Monday and had been picked up first by a small sailing yacht.
Dealing with issues concerning migration, especially relations with Libya and the renewal of an EU anti-smuggling operation in the Mediterranean: Those are some of the difficult tasks Italy's new Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini is facing.