“For eleven days, the 234 survivors rescued by the Ocean Viking have been stranded on the boat’s deck. For eleven days they have been waiting to disembark in a safe haven.” On Thursday, November 3, rebellious France MP Carlos Martens Bilongo challenged the government in the Assembly on the issue of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean .
And to continue: “I can only share the concerns of these migrants, at a time when the new Italian Prime Minister has promised to block the arrival of immigrants from Africa (…). The rescued are in an absolute emergency and the weather forecasts indicate a clear deterioration of the climate…” He was immediately interrupted by a racist slur against Deputy RN Grégoire de Fournas, which led to the adjournment of the meeting. an almost unprecedented scale.
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In fact, three ships carrying rescued migrants in the Mediterranean have been off Italy for more than a week, awaiting permission from the new far-right government to dock. All of their applications have so far been rejected. The 234 survivors rescued by the Ocean Viking are joined by 179 people rescued by the German NGO SOS Humanity’s Humanity 1 and 572 migrants rescued by the NGO Doctors Without Borders’ Geo Barents. This corresponds to a total of 985 people.
📢 “We have 572 people on board with 572 different stories. They all share the experience of risking their lives to… https://t.co/FqaSJ9zVuk
6/6 179 people need a safe haven – IMMEDIATELY! *Names changed to protect people. Note: The… https://t.co/mvAx5orPVo
“The supplies are running out”
SOS Méditerranée, whose boat is currently transporting 234 people rescued off Libya, asked France, Spain and Greece for help on Thursday, while Malta and Italy did not respond to requests for help. LONG said to fear “a strong wind, high waves and a drop in temperature by the end of the week,” adding that “stocks are slowly running out” on board. “The rescued passengers are calm, although some are showing the first signs of seasickness. Exactly two weeks have passed since the first rescue operation,” said a photographer on board on Friday. “The sea is getting bigger. It’s raining, and the rain should double in the evening. »
📣While the Italian and Maltese authorities ignore the fate of the survivors stranded at sea,… https://t.co/B37zLHrMXG
Since its first rescue on October 22, SOS Méditerranée, as usual and in accordance with the law of the sea, has made requests to the authorities of the search area, Libya and Malta without receiving any response, explained the director and co-founder of the NGO. Sophie Beau. She then asked Italy for help, but the recent rise to power of the far right in Rome and statements by her leaders leave little hope of her approval.
Italy’s interior minister said he had issued a directive warning police forces and port authorities that his ministry was considering a ban on entry into the territorial waters of Ocean Viking and Geo Barents, both flying the Norwegian flag.
Hesitation in Paris?
SOS Méditerranée then contacted the maritime authorities of France, Spain and Greece. “We are facing an absolute emergency and any additional day of waiting could have dire consequences,” warned Sophie Beau. “The 234 people rescued on board must disembark urgently,” warns the NGO. “The current blockade at sea of 985 people is illegal and inhumane. So far, twenty safe haven applications have been made by SOS Méditerranée, without success.
“We urge EU members and associated countries to respect the law of the sea and cooperate in designating a place of safety… https://t.co/6zFasE2AAW
For their part, the crew of the Geo Barents is struggling to care for the 572 migrants on board, including around sixty unaccompanied minors, families with children and pregnant women, and the elderly. Many sleep on the floor, supplies are running out.
Germany sent a diplomatic note to Italy on Thursday asking “the Italian government for quick help” in view of the humanitarian emergency.
In Paris, the interior minister said he “did not doubt for a moment that Italy would respect[ait] international law” and would welcome the Ocean Viking. “International law is very clear: if a boat with shipwrecked people on board wants to dock, it must go to the safest and closest port, in this case Italy,” Gérald Darmanin explained to BFM on Friday -TV/RMC He explained he “had an exchange” with his Italian counterpart.
“But we have said to our Italian friends with our German friends that we are obviously ready to take in some of the women and children as we have done before” so that Italy does not alone bear the burden of this arrival,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jean-Christophe Combe, his solidarity colleague, continued to assure Information about France that “France [était] ready to welcome “the 234 migrants”. [le ferait] Any country “. It is a “matter of humanity”. “A port in Europe or in France must be able to receive them so that we can treat them (…). We will not let them die in the middle of the Mediterranean, we won’t let them drift.”
According to the International Organization for Migration, 1,765 migrants have disappeared in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, including 1,287 in the central Mediterranean, the most dangerous migration route in the world.
Also read Who is really Sophie Beau, co-founder of SOS Méditerranée?