Hundreds of migrants remained stranded on Tuesday, November 8 off the coast of Italy on humanitarian ships, in particular that of the NGO SOS Méditerranée, theocean vikingwhose fate triggered a diplomatic bickering between France and Italy in the evening.
After days or even weeks at sea, three ambulance ships that rescued migrants attempting to cross between the North African coasts and Europe have obtained permission to dock in Italian ports. But Rome only authorized some of the survivors to go down to the quay, to the chagrin of humanitarian organizations.
the Rise Above, a 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 of the 89 migrants on board. Six migrants were evacuated on Sunday for medical reasons.
The German-flagged vessel Humanity 1, from the NGO SOS Humanity, was authorized to land on Sunday in Catania, Sicily, to disembark 144 people, mainly women and minors. But Italy refused 35 adult men.
the Geo Barentsa Doctors Without Borders (MSF) ship flying the Norwegian flag, also docked Sunday evening in Catania: 357 people were able to disembark, including children, but entry was refused to 215 others.
L’ocean viking, from the European NGO SOS Méditerranée, which also flies the Norwegian flag, has not received the green light to land in Italy. It was sailing Tuesday morning off the Sicilian port of Syracuse. “Faced with the deafening silence of Italy”SOS Méditerranée said it asked France on Tuesday to assign a safe port to theocean viking who “expected to arrive in international waters near Corsica on November 10”.
“This extreme solution is the result of a critical and dramatic failure by all European Union member states and associated states to facilitate the designation of a place of safety”insisted the NGO in its press release.
The French government on Tuesday evening denounced the “unacceptable behavior” of the Italian authorities which is “contrary to the law of the sea and the spirit of European solidarity”a French government source told AFP. “We expect something different from a country which is today the first beneficiary of the European solidarity mechanism”, she added. On franceinfo, Wednesday morning, Olivier Véran estimated that Italy should “to play one’s role” and “respecting its European commitments”.
SOS Méditerrannée calls on France to welcome the Ocean Viking ➡️ “This boat is currently in Italian territorial waters. There are clear European rules. We want Italy to respect its commitments”, replies Olivier Véran. pic.twitter.com/zyxB9N0wwK
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) November 9, 2022
Earlier in the evening, the new far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had thanked France which, according to her, was agreeing to host theocean viking in one of its ports. But the French Ministry of the Interior specified that the ship was “for the moment” in the “italian waters”, “until noon tomorrow (Wednesday) at least”.