Italian authorities have been asked by the Netherlands to keep the NGO migrant rescue ship Sea Watch 3 in the port of Catania. The decision followed an inspection by Dutch authorities earlier this week.
Migrant arrivals to Spain continue to increase, with 103 migrants - including seven women and 55 children - rescued in just 24 hours from four different vessels. The Spanish government aims to cut migrant arrivals in half this year compared to the 64,000 arrivals in 2018.
The civilian rescue vessel Sea Watch 3, which was detained in Italy on Friday, is the latest of such boats to stop operations in the central Mediterranean. Now, only the Libyan Coast Guard is able to save migrants risking their lives at sea in an attempt to reach Europe from North Africa.
The 15 minors stuck on board the Sea-Watch 3 for almost two weeks spoke to ANSA about their journey and their future dreams in Europe. They had been refused entry to Italian ports after being rescued at sea in January. Their traumatic experiences continue to haunt them.
The Italian prime minister has said that the migrants stranded on a rescue boat operated by German NGO Sea Watch will soon be allowed to disembark. They will then be redistributed among several EU states.
Prosecutors in Sicily say Interior Minister Matteo Salvini held 177 migrants hostage by stranding them on a ship. The European Council has expressed concern about xenophobia in Italy.
Libyan authorities are holding 144 people, including four children, in a detention center in the city of Misrata. The group was rescued from the Mediterranean three days ago by the cargo ship 'Lady Sham'. The UN says they should not have been returned to Libya, and Europe must ensure rescued migrants are allowed to disembark in a safe place.
The NGO vessel Sea Watch is currently awaiting instructions about where to dock and disembark 47 migrants they rescued at sea. The crew of the Sea Watch told ANSA that the migrants aboard are terrorized by the thought of being brought back to Libya. "Their health condition is good and stable, but now worsening weather conditions are concerning," the crew said.
At the beginning of 2019, two migrant rescue ships carrying 49 people, including children, waited up to 19 days before being granted a port in which to dock. This has prompted Amnesty International to call for 'urgent action' to change the way rescues at sea are being handled.
Sixteen migrants including six children were saved on the Pljesevica mountain, which marks the border between Bosnia and Croatia. They are all in precarious health condition after being exposed to freezing temperatures.
Spanish authorities on Monday rescued nearly 500 people trying to cross the Mediterranean in flimsy boats. But they continue to block the Spanish NGO ship Open Arms from carrying out search and rescue work.
After weeks of waiting, 49 North African refugees on two rescue vessels have received permission to disembark. Germany has agreed to accept 60 refugees in total amidst ongoing political wrangling within the EU.