Mediterranean: Significant Increase of Arrivals, EU Complicity in Cycle of Abuse in Libya, NGOs Continue Rescues and Strike Back on Criminalisation, Italy and France Clash Over Migration Amid Pushback
EcreMay 01, 2023
On Thursday, the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that a Europe-bound vessel from Libya carrying approximately 500 migrants is in distress in the Mediterranean Sea, alleging that Italian and Maltese authorities have so far not responded to rescue calls.
The IOM's warning echoes those of several non-profits, with Alarm Phone – an NGO that alerts authorities when migrant boats are in distress — first reporting the vessel's condition on Tuesday.
Southern Europe is currently in the middle of a refugee crisis. The irregular border crossings into the EU across the Mediterranean have quadrupled in the first quarter of 2023 compared to last year. What are the authorities doing? Malta doesn't respond to distress calls, and Italy is pushing back boats to Libya. It's a deliberate hands-off policy that sees innocent people drown. This perpetual cycle of abuse must end.
The refugee and migration problem in the Mediterranean has exposed a solidarity crisis in the EU. There's no mechanism in place to share the responsibility for hosting migrants. As a consequence, the countries on the southern border are overburdened by an continual influx of migrants and forced to argue with the other nations in the north over which of them should host asylum seekers who reach Europe's shores. Italy and other southern nations can only rescue so many.