“NGOs in cahoots with human traffickers”

12.05.2017

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) based in Rome saw a sharp drop in the calls in June 2016, with NGO rescue operations increasing at the same time to more than 40 percent of all incidents.

• "Since June 2016, a significant number of boats were intercepted or rescued by NGO vessels without any prior distress call and without official information as to the rescue location," says Frontex.
   
• Chief of Libyan Coast Guard in the central region, Rida Essa, has accused rescue organizations in the Mediterranean of encouraging the influx of illegal immigrants from Libya to the EU.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is under investigation over allegations it facilitates illegal immigration as debate rages in Italy following accusations, backed by the government, that NGOs are colluding with Libyan people smugglers.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that Italian prosecutors have begun investigating MSF and other NGOs for rescuing migrants stranded at sea allegedly without notifying Italy’s coast guard.

MSF crew are accused of telling migrants not to cooperate with Italian and EU border authorities during “debriefing” when they arrive on land, according to the newspaper.

Investigating Sicilian prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio told the Senate Defense Commission on Wednesday that several members of multiple humanitarian organizations are under investigation on suspicion they may be working with people smugglers.

The newspaper, however, stated that the prosecutor didn’t state the name of any particular NGO.

"The Trapani prosecutors' office has current investigations concerning the possible crime of abetting illegal migration focused not on NGOs per se, but individuals belonging to NGOs," he said.

Migrant rescue charities in the Mediterranean have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks with the Italian government backing prosecutors’ claims “100 percent” that Libyan traffickers and rescuers were in contact, offering a “taxi” service bringing migrants to Italy.

Prosecutors have made claims that rescue boats turned off their transponders and turned on lamps to show migrant boats their location.

It is also suspected that some NGO ships recover dinghies and engines turning these over to the trafficker’s network to be resold and re-used again.

NGO’s ‘100%’ working with smugglers - Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano

Before the parliamentary committee, Cartosio reiterated this claim, saying some rescue crews appeared to know where to find boats of migrants in advance.

"People aboard the ships are clearly aware of the time and place where they will find vessels carrying migrants, so they are clearly previously informed," he said.

"We understand that NGOs made some rescues at sea without informing the Coast Guard," Cartosio said.

"Their presence in a given part of the sea, is strong circumstantial evidence that suggests they are aware that this is where sea vessels arrive,” he added. “But it alone is not a decisive element in determining the crime of illegal immigration."

In some cases, “humanitarian ships came into Libyan waters and carried out relief without consultation with the Coast Guard,” Cartosio was cited as saying by another Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.

“We have evidence that [those] aboard know in advance where and when they will reach the migrants."

MSF responded to the allegations, saying it had no contact with prosecutors but that it is ready to explain its work in the Mediterranean.

“We confirm that we were not contacted by the Trapani attorney (Cartosio), and we reiterate our availability to clarify any information required by the authorities and strongly reaffirm the total legitimacy and transparency of our work in the sea, the only goal of which is to save lives,” it said. 

The route from Libya across the Mediterranean to Italy is one of the most commonly used by human traffickers bringing migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East to Europe.

There are currently 10 charities rescuing migrants off the coast of Libya, including: Doctors Without Borders (MSF); Save the Children; SOS Mediterranee, Mobile Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), Proactiva Open Arms (Spanish),  Sea-Watch e.V (German), Jugend Rettet e.V. (German), Sea-Eye e.V. (German), LifeBoat gGmbH (German), Mission Lifeline e.V. (German)

All have denied allegations that they are colluding with people traffickers.

The country with the most aid agencies operating in the central Mediterranean is Germany, with five organizations and six vessels - one costing ca. 420,000 Euro (ca. 450,000 USD) per month to keep at sea - over 4 800 000 million Euro a year ( ca. 5 100 000 million USD).

So far all NGOs refuse to publish a complete list of its benefactors.

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Source:

* Corriere della Sera – 10.05.2017 - “The investigation -Trapani investigating MSF crews who tell migrants not to cooperate" – (L’inchiesta - Trapani, indagati gli equipaggi di MSF «Dissero ai migranti: non collaborate»): http://www.corriere.it/cronache/17_maggio_10/trapani-indagati-equipaggi-ms-dissero-migranti-non-collaborate-36c2f052-35be-11e7-ae5c-ac92466523f8.shtml

* La Repubblica - 11.05.2017 - “Trapani investigation of Doctors Without Borders ship:  migrants couched not to talk to the police.”

Some crew members of the humanitarian ship after a rescue. Prosecutor Cartosio at the Senate Defense Commission: "Survey of physical persons not documented by NGOs. Files show no rescue documentation" - (Trapani, indagine su nave di Medici senza frontiere: migranti convinti a non parlare con la polizia. Alcuni membri dell'equipaggio della nave umanitaria dopo un soccorso. Il procuratore Cartosio alla commissione Difesa del Senato: "Indagine su persone fisiche non sulle Ong". Le carte: "Nessuna documentazione sul salvataggio"):
http://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/05/11/news/trapani_indagine_su_nave_di_medici_senza_frontiere_soccorsi_senza_avvertire_la_guardia_costiera-165157493/?refresh_ce

* Tiscali.it  - News 03.05.17 - “[Exclusive] Here are the two military dossiers and the photos that incriminate the NGOs on migrant trafficking. They are in the hands of the prosecutor in Catania.” – (Esclusiva - Ecco i due dossier militari e le foto che inguaiano le Ong sul traffico di migranti. Sono nelle mani del procuratore di Catania): http://notizie.tiscali.it/cronaca/articoli/dossier-Viminale-accusa-Medici-Senza-Frontiere/

* Tiscali.it  - News 11.05.17  - “[Exclusive] NGO investigation and traffickers. ‘Adults declared as minor and advised not to cooperate.’ Here is the Viminal dossier that incriminates the Doctors without Borders (MSF)” - (Esclusiva -  Inchiesta Ong e trafficanti. "Adulti dichiarati come minori e reticenze". Ecco il dossier del Viminale che accusa Medici Senza Frontiere): http://notizie.tiscali.it/cronaca/articoli/dossier-Viminale-accusa-Medici-Senza-Frontiere/

Documents:

* "FRONTEX Triton Analytical Report -December 2016": https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3531244/Frontex-Triton-Analytical-Report-December-2016.pdf
* "FRONTEX - Risk Analysis for 2017" -  report: http://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Annual_Risk_Analysis_2017.pdf
* "Caught in the act: NGOs deal in migrant smuggling": https://gefira.org/en/2016/11/15/caught-in-the-act-ngos-deal-in-migrant-smuggling/