Off Libya, migrants more than ever suspended

Text by: Juliette Gheerbrant

The world health situation further exacerbates the difficulties experienced by rescue NGOs at sea. On Wednesday Italy refused to allow foreign-flagged ships to dock and the International Organization for Migration reports that even Libya is now refusing to allow to land migrants intercepted by its coast guard.

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" Due to the intensification of the bombing, some of which targeted the port of Tripoli, Libya can no longer be considered a safe port ." This statement, which might seem ironic, comes from the Libyan authorities and is reported by the IOM. In fact, the International Organization for Migration has found that around 280 migrants intercepted by the Libyan coast guard are kept aboard an overloaded boat in the port of Tripoli without being able to get ashore. Among them are women and children. IOM, which explains that they spent 72 hours at sea before being rescued, provides them with food and water. " A tragic situation " sums up Federico Soda, the head of mission of the UN organization.

Further at sea, aboard the humanitarian ship Alan Kurdi flying the German flag, 150 migrants are also waiting to reach the mainland. They were rescued last Monday by the NGO Sea Eye. That morning, the day after arriving in the rescue zone, the team carried out two successive operations. The first near a small wooden boat almost turned into a drama. According to the NGO, Libyan coast guards who arrived on the scene fired shots in the air. In a panic, part of the migrants jumped into the water. But the 66 passengers were finally brought safely on board the Alan Kurdi, the NGO posted photos of the operation on its site.

While this first rescue was still underway, the captain of the Alan Kurdi received a report from another boat in distress. This time, 82 people including a pregnant woman and several children will be rescued when at first, a supply vessel refused to help them. Reason invoked, the tanker assigned to an oil platform had to remain available if necessary.

"The epidemic does not prevent people from drowning"

On Wednesday the Alan Kurdi was halfway between Libya and Italy, near Malta. But neither of these two countries is ready to welcome it. The decree banning the entry of ships into Italian ports was signed on Tuesday, the Ministry of Transport said, adding that " it is based on the principles of protecting the health of passengers ".

Contacted by RFI, the crew reported that none of the passengers had symptoms of coronavirus infection. But migrants have neither the space nor the masks necessary to avoid contagion. Caterina, one of the two doctors on board, specifies that she and her colleague take turns constantly to answer their state of health to the European authorities. " I also hope that the sea will remain calm, adds the doctor, because I dare not imagine the situation in heavy weather with 150 passengers on board ." A crew member explains that he has never seen this. “ During my last mission we had 32 migrants on board. Yesterday I realized that the ship was unstable because there were too many passengers on one side… ”. With two toilets and a shower for all the migrants, every day spent at sea adds to the health danger.

Wait and negotiate

The closure of Italian ports is not a surprise for Sea Eye, however. As of last week reports the NGO, Rome and Valletta had written to the German Foreign Ministry that due to the sanitary situation, they would not allow any humanitarian vessel flying the foreign flag to dock. " We will, as usual, wait and negotiate " replies Simon Pompé, one of the spokesmen for Sea Eye.

“ The coronavirus epidemic does not prevent people from drowning and these people are no less entitled to help because there is an epidemic. The law of the sea requires rescuing boats in distress, that people may be sick should not be taken into account. Sea Eye calls on everyone to assume their responsibilities ”, explained Simon Pompé on RFI. The expression “assuming one's responsibilities” does not have the same meaning for everyone. Germany called on the NGO to cease operations and turn back.

According to IOM, more than 500 migrants have left Libya for Europe this week: 150 are on board the Alan Kurdi, 280 on board that of the Libyan coast guard, and 67 have arrived alone until Italian island of Lampedusa.

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• Libya
• International Migration
• Coronavirus
• Italy
• Immigration