A German humanitarian ship was able to land the 89 people it had rescued in the Mediterranean on Tuesday in Italy while theocean viking remains barred from port and hundreds of migrants remain stranded on other boats.
the Rise Abovea ship of the German NGO Lifeline, was able to bring down Tuesday morning in Reggio Calabria, in the southern tip of the Italian boot, all the migrants on board, that is to say 89 people.
Six migrants were evacuated for medical reasons on Sunday from this small ship compared to the three other NGO boats currently operating in the Mediterranean and which are facing the refusal of the new Italian government to disembark all of their passengers.
After weeks at sea, the German-flagged ship Humanity 1, from the NGO SOS Humanity, was authorized to land on Sunday in Catania, Sicily, to disembark 144 people, mainly women and minors. On board, however, remain 35 adult male migrants whom Italy does not want.
the Geo Barentsa Doctors Without Borders (MSF) ship flying the Norwegian flag, also docked in Catania on Sunday evening and the Italian authorities authorized 357 people to disembark, including children, while refusing entry to 215 others.
Among them, two Syrians threw themselves into the waters of the port on Monday while a third person dived to come to their rescue. They are safe and sound. They slept in a van on the quay and will be able to apply for asylum, Democratic Senator Antonio Nicita told AFP on the spot.
A new medical inspection should take place on Tuesday on board the Geo Barents where an outbreak of scabies is raging among migrants stranded on board, he explained.
The refusal to accommodate all the passengers of these ships “puts them in danger and violates Italy’s obligations vis-à-vis human rights”, estimated Tuesday the NGO Human Rights Watch.
International and European law “guarantees the right to seek asylum and bans collective expulsions”, she recalls.
Anxiety and depression
Only for nowocean vikingof the European NGO SOS Méditerranée, which also flies the flag of Norway, has not yet been granted entry into an Italian port and was sailing Tuesday morning off the Sicilian port of Syracuse, told AFP a photographer on board.
“The situation on board theocean viking has become unbearable for 234 survivors. After 17 days on board, their mental health is seriously affected: many suffer from insomnia and show significant signs of anxiety and depression,” the NGO was alarmed on Monday.
Italy’s new government, the most right-wing since World War II, has pledged to take a hard line on migrants.
He calls for greater solidarity from European countries in welcoming migrants and believes that the States under whose flag the boats sail must do their part.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Germany was the European Union country in 2021 with the highest number of asylum applications (148,200), ahead of France (89,400). ), Spain (65,400), the United Kingdom (56,500) and Italy (43,800).
Italy has seen a sharp increase in entries into its territory by sea this year, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, with 88,100 people arriving on its coasts since January 1 against nearly 56,000 and 30,400 respectively on the same period of 2021 and 2020, years of the health crisis.
Only 14% of migrants entering the country this year were rescued and disembarked by humanitarian NGO ships, according to the ministry.
A spokeswoman for the European Commission recalled on Tuesday that there is “a voluntary solidarity mechanism” to ensure that other European countries take care of people disembarked in Italy.
But in the meantime, underlined Ms Anitta Hipper during a press briefing, Member States such as Italy “are required to ensure effective access to asylum procedures” on their territory as well as in their territorial waters.