In the Mediterranean, the Ocean Viking in search of a safe port to disembark 555 migrants
The SOS Mediterranean sea rescue vessel, Ocean Viking, July 6, 2020 (Image illustration).
© AFP / Archives
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5 mins
Five hundred and fifty-five migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean over the weekend find themselves stranded aboard the
Ocean Viking
.
No country accepts that the ship of the NGO SOS Méditerranée disembarks on its coasts.
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Faced with an untenable humanitarian situation, SOS Méditerranée is appealing for a port to accept the disembarkation of 555 migrants.
“
We have received a refusal from Malta already.
We have not received a response from Libya or Tunisia.
So, we have extended our request to Italy today.
And as of this writing, we have not received any positive response.
So, we are in a very difficult wait
”
,
observes Fabienne Lassalle, deputy director of SOS Méditerranée, joined on Monday 2 August.
► To read also
: More than 700 migrants rescued during the weekend in the Mediterranean
More than 700 migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean aboard makeshift boats were embarked during the weekend during operations carried out by the
Ocean Viking as
well as by the ships of the German NGOs Sea-Watch and ResQship. “
The situation aboard the Ocean Viking is bound to be extremely complicated. These people are in a very fragile situation. They lived the horror in Libya, the horror at sea and now have a very difficult time living on board. There is sun, there are people who have vanished in the afternoon
(Monday August 2) "
,
continues Fabienne Lassalle, SOS Mediterranean.
Not to mention the
"
stress
", she emphasizes.
“
You have to realize the shock and all the hardships these people went through.
And I'm not even talking about the injuries that some people have and that we are trying to treat, injuries made during the crossing and sometimes even before in Libya.
"
After each rescue, the NGOs must wait, stranded at sea sometimes for several days, for the allocation of a "safe port" by the maritime authorities to disembark.
Despite persistent insecurity, Libya remains an important crossing point for tens of thousands of migrants seeking each year to reach Europe via the Italian coasts 300 km away from the Libyan coasts.
Bringing Europe face to face with its responsibilities
Fabienne Lassalle urges the European Union to take its responsibilities.
“
The problem is not only that of the country to which we are trying to disembark because it is the closest, for example Italy.
Today it is a European problem.
It is the European States that we are calling on so that lasting solutions are found both to be able to disembark people when they have been rescued, but also for additional resources to be dispatched to the central Mediterranean to go and rescue.
Because here, we are faced with an absolute need and a lack of resources
”,
deplores the deputy director of SOS Méditerranée.
► To read also
: Migrants: a new drama in the Mediterranean underlines state inaction
Currently, the Ocean Viking accommodates 555 people on board, another NGO Sea-Watch has more than 250. In this situation, the humanitarian estimates that the NGOs
“
Cannot rescue additional people.
However, there are other boats that deserve to be rescued.
There is no one to come and rescue them.
So, we also ask the international community, the European community since we are in the Mediterranean, to send resources to go to rescue and strengthen the assistance that can be provided to these people who are in distress
”
.
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.
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International Migration