More than 700 migrants rescued during the weekend in the Mediterranean
The humanitarian rescue vessel Ocean Viking, chartered by the NGO SOS Méditerranée.
AFP - GIOVANNI ISOLINO
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More than 700 people were rescued throughout this weekend in the central Mediterranean, especially off Malta and Libya.
This summer, the number of deaths is breaking records in this maritime area.
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Since Saturday, six rescues have been carried out in international waters, the last of which, Sunday afternoon, helped to rescue 106 people in an overloaded boat off Malta, announced the European NGO SOS Mediterranean. The boat in distress had been spotted by the ship of the German NGO Sea-Watch.
This operation came just hours after the
Ocean Viking as
well as the boats of Sea-Watch and the German NGO ResQship had come to the aid on the night of Saturday to Sunday to more than 400 people in distress in the central Mediterranean.
This rescue operation, explains Sophie Beau, director of the SOS Méditerranée association, joined by
Sylvie Koffi,
was “
very critical because there was a boat in distress with 400 people on board which threatened to sink.
"
The survivors were then distributed to the
Sea-Watch3
and the
Ocean Viking
to receive treatment in particular.
Since Saturday, the
Ocean Viking
has been on its sixth rescue operation.
The ship, which had already taken in 196 people during various rescues off Libya on Saturday, now has 555 survivors on board with the two operations on Sunday.
“
In total, we have 555 people who have been rescued by the
Ocean Viking
crews
who are on board, safe, but in a very, very tired, even exhausted state.
"
Among them are 22 nationalities from Bangladesh, West and Central Africa, at least 28 women, two of whom are pregnant, and 81 minors, 66 of whom are unaccompanied.
It is not yet determined in which "safe" port these people can disembark.
"
There was in fact a weather window of calm weather over these two days, which obviously pushed many boats into the sea,"
continues the director of the SOS Méditerranée association.
There is also concern that other boats have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard and brought back to Libya.
Unfortunately, there are not enough ships present to conduct military rescue operations at this time.
"
Despite persistent insecurity, Libya remains an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants each year seeking to reach Europe via the Italian coast, some 300 km from the Libyan coast.
►
To read also: Migrants: a new drama in the Mediterranean underlines state inaction
"
Solidarity distribution
"
The spokesperson in France of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Céline Schmitt, called in early July for Europe to "urgently" equip itself with an automatic, predictable and solidarity-based distribution mechanism for rescued migrants in order to To offer them the guarantees of a better reception and not to leave only the countries bordering the Mediterranean in the front line.
“
If we look at the central Mediterranean [the deadliest maritime migration route in the world, which links Libya to Italy and Malta in particular, editor's note], last year, less than 50,000 people arrived,
had- she pointed out.
It is totally manageable in view of the European population and in view of the number of uprooted people in the world, which has reached 82 million people
”, noted the spokesperson.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), migrant departures, interceptions and arrivals in the central Mediterranean are on the increase this year.
At least 1,113 people died in the Mediterranean during the first half of 2021 while trying to reach Europe.
SOS Méditerranée claims for its part to have rescued more than 34,000 people since February 2016, first with the
Aquarius
, then with the
Ocean Viking
.
►
To read also: Spain at the heart of migration geopolitics in the Mediterranean
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