Libyan coastguard intercepts 137 migrants

The migrants are the latest to risk their lives, trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe

AFP

6 August 2017

TRIPOLI, Libya – Libya's coastguard intercepted 137 migrants including 5 women and 3 children on Sunday, August 6, as they attempted to reach Europe, a migration official told Agence France-Presse.

Amine al-Boussefi, head of a government agency in Tripoli tackling clandestine migration, said "137 migrants were successfully rescued by the coastguard... then handed over to us."

The migrants, from several African countries, were aboard an inflatable boat intercepted Sunday morning around 40 kilometers (23 miles) north of Sayyad, a seaside village west of Tripoli, navy spokesman General Ayoub Qassem said.

The migrants were taken to a navy base in the capital where the Libyan authorities gave them food, water, and medical treatment, an Agence France-Presse photographer said.

They were then transferred by bus to the eastern Tripoli suburb of Tajoura and handed over to the anti-migration agency.

The Agence France-Presse photographer saw dozens of migrants gathered in a courtyard there, sitting on the ground under the blazing sun as they waited to be put in detention centers.

Six years since a revolution that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, Libya has become a key departure point for migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Hailing mainly from sub-Saharan countries, most board boats operated by human traffickers in the country's west, heading for the Italian island of Lampedusa 300 kilometers (190 miles) away.

More than 111,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea so far this year, the vast majority of them arriving in Italy, according to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration.

Over 2,300 have died attempting the crossing.

Source: http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/africa/177892-libya-coastguard-intercepts-migrants

Libyan Coast Guard rescues 155 migrants off Tripoli shores

Libyan Express

8 August 2017

Libyan coastguards rescued Monday 155 people, including 18 women and 10 children, near the capital city of Tripoli.

The migrants came from several countries, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Sudan as well as sub-Saharan Africa and Syria, according to Italian media reports.

Libya has been in disarray since the revolution of 2011. Lawlessness has been a major factor in fueling the migrant trafficking trade.

Around 114,000 migrants have landed in southern Europe since the start of the year, and about 82 per cent ended up in Italy, according to data from the IOM last month. Nearly all of them set sail from Libya.


Source: http://www.libyanexpress.com/libyan-coast-guard-rescues-155-migrants-off-tripoli-shores/

Spanish NGO ship enters in Pozzallo harbor in Sicily

Landing of 3 rescued migrants not authorized. Austria boost controls

ANSAmed

9 August 2017

POZZALLO (RAGUSA) - The ship of Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, Golfo Azzurro, has entered without authorization in Italian territorial waters and is currently in Pozzallo's harbor.

So far the passengers and crew are not expected to land. The vessel has been waiting for 72 hours for an authorization from Italian authorities.

The deputy commander of the Pozzallo port authority, Marco Tognazzoni, confirmed that at the moment he has ''no authorization from the ministry of interior and infrastructure to allow the people rescued by the ship of the Spanish NGO to disembark''.

A diplomatic strong-arm appears to be ongoing between Malta and Italy over the management of this rescue operation of three Libyan citizens who are reportedly on board the ship. The whole operation was reportedly managed by Malta's coordination center and therefore Maltese authorities should indicate the port where the vessel should dock.

Source: http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/malta/2017/08/09/migrants-spanish-ngo-ship-enters-in-pozzallo-harbor_ed59339c-1895-42dd-a1bf-f9a670cba09f.html

* "Rescue vessel Golfo Azzurro disembarks Libyan migrants in Pozzallo": http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-08-09/local-news/Vessel-carrying-migrants-still-stranded-outside-Sicily-awaiting-instruction-6736177604
* "Migrants: Proactiva ship still out of Italian waters": http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2017/08/09/migrants-proactiva-ship-still-out-of-italian-waters_c0b8e1ca-d07a-41a2-99b1-951b70dc3fa7.html
* "Stranded migrant vessel remains stuck in international waters ": https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170808/local/stranded-rescue-vessel-heads-north-towards-sicily.655216

Migrants: Delrio, closest vessel to save human lives

Transport minister not against code for NGOs but rights first

ANSAmed

8 August 2017


ROME - Transport Minister Graziano Delrio told Rome daily La Repubblica in an interview published Tuesday that an NGO vessel close to migrants that need to be rescued cannot be excluded even if it hasn't signed a code of conduct promoted by the interior ministry.

''The right over the past few days has described me as a Catholic who champions the third world and opposes 'law and order','' Delrio told the newspaper.

''I am working to crack down on the odious illegal migrant trafficking, in our war against smugglers. But if there is an NGO vessel close to people who need to be rescued, I can't exclude it. And even if it has not signed the self-regulation code, I have to use it to save human lives''.

The interview first appeared overnight in the online edition of the paper and was quoted by ANSA.

Delrio explained that he is not against the code of conduct.

''This code comes from an initiative of the transport ministry at the request of organizations. The interior ministry then added further elements regarding security'', he said.

He added that he is not in disagreement with Interior Minister Marco Minniti and that he has no ''points of contrast'' with him.

''We are talking about rescue operations at sea - regulated by international laws - not of controlling flows or integration policies. This rescue cannot be derogated, nor is it discretional'', stressed Delrio.

''I have instructed the coast guard to mainly use NGOs that show an attitude to cooperate. But I certainly cannot violate a rule of international law or our Constitution. Before everything else, this is a matter of hierarchy of sources. Or someone thinks that it is possible to ban the transfer of migrants aboard a ship, leaving it outside ports to sail in the Mediterranean for 15 days?''. NGOs ''must cooperate on everything'', said Delrio. ''I understand their point of view, when they say: 'I am an NGO, not the State'. But I am the State and I want to crack down on this shameful human trafficking. We are at war with smugglers - a true war, not one on televised debates'', he concluded.

Delrio's statements came on the day that the NGO code nearly led to a government crisis, with Interior Minister Marco Minniti not attending the Council of ministers and Premier Paolo Gentiloni attempting to ease tension. President Sergio Mattarella stepped in to stress the ''value of the code of conduct for NGOs''.

The line of the interior ministry and Minniti is clear: those who did not sign the code are out of 'official' rescue operations and cannot therefore bring migrants to Italian ports. The line is disregarded if, as occurred last Saturday with MSF, the coast guard asks for the intervention of vessels operated by organizations that have not signed the code and then takes rescued migrants onboard.
This led to the problem with Delrio. The ministry of transport and infrastructure, which is in charge of the coast guard, stressed that international laws were always observed and that the code also provides for the possibility of a transfer if it is requested by the coordination center of the coast guard.
Several well-informed sources who have spoken with the minister said Minniti asked and obtained a clear political stance of the executive following the statements in order to pursue a coherent policy on immigration after years of chaos.
The policy appears to be leading to the first results with the Libyan coast guard that started to take back vessels leaving from Zawia, Zuhara, Sabratha and Garabulli and the number of landings that continues to drop after a week: as of today, 96,438 migrants have arrived, down 3.3% on the 99,727 who landed over the same period in 2016.

Meanwhile Sos Mediterranee, one of the NGOs that has not signed the code of conduct yet, asked for a meeting Thursday to ''clarify its position'' on the code ''ahead of a possible signing".

Source: http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/europe/2017/08/08/migrants-delrio-closest-vessel-to-save-human-lives_a81d861d-dad2-439f-b27d-a14318a39e98.html

Malta right to deny migrant vessel entry - Chris Fearne

Deputy PM plays down incident, says international law is clear

Times of Malta

8 August 2017

Malta's decision not to allow a rescue vessel to disembark migrants here was in keeping with international law, deputy prime minister Chris Fearne said this morning.

Dr Fearne insisted the closest, safest port of call was Lampedusa and not Malta.

Rescue vessel Golfo Azzurro has been circling just outside Malta's territorial waters since yesterday, awaiting instructions on where it can disembark three migrants it picked up off Libya.

According to reports, Italy has denied the ship permission to disembark the migrants in Lampedusa, claiming that a new code of conduct for NGOs involved in such activities had not been observed. 

Among other things, the code of conduct includes a demand that ships carry an armed policeman aboard.

Another point forbids ships from transferring people to other boats, a measure apparently aimed at shutting down smaller rescue ships that normally transfer migrants to larger vessels to be brought to Italy.

NGOs say the code would be a violation of international maritime law - a position echoed by  Fulvio Vassallo, a professor of international law at the University of Palermo.

"The code of conduct isn't meant to save more lives but to limit the number of people rescued by the NGOs," Prof. Vassallo told Reuters last week. "It's being sold to the public as something that will lower departures from Libya, which it will not do. Unfortunately, it could increase the number of victims."

Italy's refusal to accept migrants aboard the Golfo Azzurro could indicate a shift in its approach to migration. But Mr Fearne played down the incident.

"This is an isolated case and we must not make it out to be the rule," he said this morning.

Source: https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170808/local/malta-right-to-deny-migrant-vessel-entry-chris-fearne.655196

* "Migrants: NGO vessel off Malta awaiting instructions": http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/nations/italy/2017/08/07/migrants-ngo-vessel-off-malta-awaiting-instructions_6c139d32-0d3a-41c1-8fa2-3ee924e818bc.html
* "Migrant rescue vessel stranded off Malta - Crew members brought to Malta to board pre-booked flights": https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170807/local/migrant-rescue-vessel-stranded-off-malta.655117
* "Italy refuses entry to migrant rescue vessel left stranded off Malta": http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/79547/italy_refuses_entry_to_migrant_rescue_vessel_left_stranded_off_malta

Italy, Malta keep migrant vessel in limbo

AFP News

8 August 2017

A Spanish vessel with three Libyan migrants aboard was kept in international waters on Tuesday after Italy and Malta refused to let it to dock.

The three aboard the ship Golfo Azzurro, chartered by Spain's Proactiva Open Arms NGO and rescued Sunday, were in limbo, illustrating policy confusion a week after Rome introduced a controversial code of conduct for charity boats rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.

A Proactiva spokesman said the vessel was some 100 nautical miles (180 kilometres) off the Libyan coast as the NGO attempted a rescue operation normally coordinated with the Italian coast guard.

When the Golfo Azzurro approached the Italian island of Lampedusa, the closest to the Libyan coast, Italian authorities denied it passage.

Proactiva's mission head Gerard Canals told AFP that Malta had said Italy was responsable for the rescue and should take the migrants.

"The rescue on Sunday happened under the coordination of the Italian MRCC (coastguards headquarters) in Rome but in the Maltese SAR (search and rescue zone).

"We asked to disembark in Lampedusa because it was closer but the Italian authorities told us to see with Malta.

"We cannot take them back to Libya because it's against maritime law" with Libya not considered as a safe port "so we have to take them to a European port."

Proactiva is one of four NGOs which have signed up to the code -- the group formally did so Tuesday at the Italian interior ministry -- whereas five counterparts operating search-and-rescue activities off Libya have rejected the new rules.

Having been denied entry to Italy and Malta to change crew and load supplies, the Golfo Azzurro was stuck between Malta and Sicily midday Tuesday.

Italian authorities last Saturday did allow 127 migrants to disembark on Lampedusa after their rescue by Prudence, a vessel chartered by Doctors without Borders (MSF), which has not signed up to the new code.

Also Tuesday, C-Star, a vessel chartered by a group of European far-right activists opposed to migrants, was still moored off the Tunisian coast as fishermen and a powerful union prevented them from loading supplies.

Two weeks ago, Turkish Cypriot authorities released the C-Star's captain and crew after detaining them over accusations of using false documentation.

The activists' "Defend Europe" scheme was launched by anti-immigration campaigners from France, Italy and Germany who raised 170,000 euros ($200,000) via crowd-funding to hire the vessel.

In a separate development, UN's new envoy to Libya on Tuesday endorsed an Italy drive to strengthen the Libyan coastguard to ensure boatloads of migrants are intercepted before reaching international waters.

Human rights campaigners fear the approach could place thousands of people with a right to asylum at serious risk.

But Ghassam Salame, a former Lebanese culture minister appointed in June to head UN operations in Libya, described the cooperation between Tripoli and Rome as a "very constructive" way of dealing with an acute problem.

"It would be absolutely unrealistic to ignore the seriousness of the challenge of irregular migration," Salame said after meeting Italian Foreign Minister Angelo Alfano in Rome.

"There are hundreds of millions of them across the world. This is very serious problem."

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/italy-malta-keep-migrant-vessel-limbo-114411481.html

Italy seizes NGO rescue boat for 'aiding illegal migration'

NGO was one of five which refused to agree new code of conduct regulating rescue missions in Mediterranean

Middle East Eye

3 August 2017

Italy seized a migrant rescue boat operated by a German aid group, prosecutors announced on Wednesday, accusing it of aiding and abetting "clandestine migration" from Libya.

The move comes as Italy toughened its approach to migration in the Southern Mediterran, dispatching a limited naval mission to Libyan waters to assist the Libyan coastguard and curb migrant flows.

The German group, which describes itself as an organisation of young Europeans, was one of five groups aiding migrants in the southern Mediterranean which refused to sign an Italian eight-point code-of-conduct regulating non-governmental actors, including a demand that they carry an armed policeman on board their boats.

Italy's interior minister, Marco Minniti, warned the day after the seizure that NGOs would likely be unable to continue operating if they did not sign up to the new rules.

Video showed the boat the Iuventa arriving at the island of Lampedusa surrounded by several coastguard vessels after it was stopped at sea before dawn.

Police inspected the ship as soon as it docked and checked the crew passports. They later took charge of the boat and set sail for a larger port in Sicily.

Jugend Rettet said on Twitter that it was currently "gathering information on all levels" and hoped to be in touch with "the Italian authorities in the near future".

"For us, the rescue of human life is and will be top priority, so we are very sorry for the fact that we are not able to operate in the search and rescue zone," their statement said.

Ambrogio Cartosio, chief prosecutor in the western Sicilian city of Trapani, told a news conference his investigation into Jugend Rettet was ongoing and no one had yet been charged.

"The evidence is serious," Cartosio said. "We have evidence of encounters between traffickers, who escorted illegal immigrants to the Iuventa, and members of the boat's crew."

Italian media reported the boat had two Syrians aboard who were taken to a refugee centre, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

It was the first time Italian police have seized a humanitarian boat. The move came amid growing suspicion over the role non-governmental organisations are playing in picking up migrants off the Libya coast and bringing them to Italian ports.

The group put out a statement on their Facebook page on Tuesday questioning the code’s legality but saying it wanted further dialogue with the Italian interior ministry on the issue. Cartosio denied a suggestion that there was any link between this refusal and the boat's seizure.

Spain's Pro-Activa Open Arms charity, one of three organisations to have signed, said it regards the code as "unnecessary but acceptable" while other groups including Doctors Without Borders, have refused to sign. 

No coordinated plan

Cartosio said there was no indication that Jugend Rettet had received any money from the Libya-based traffickers.

"It would be fantasy to say there was a coordinated plan between the NGOs and the Libyan traffickers," he said.

Cartosio told a parliamentary committee in May that he had suspicions about certain humanitarian groups because some rescue crew seemed to know in advance where to locate the flimsy boats crowded with migrants.

The mood in Italy has turned against NGOs operating in the Mediterranean, as political parties have called for action to be taken against them.

The Five Star Movement, which polls say is now the country's biggest party, has accused NGOs of offering a "taxi" service to migrants, while the rightist Northern League party has said all their ships should be impounded.

The humanitarian groups say they are only interested in saving lives, warning that thousands of people would die if they were not out at sea. Despite their efforts, 2,200 migrants have died so far this year trying to reach Europe from North Africa.

Looking to turn the screws on the traffickers, Italy's parliament authorised on Wednesday a limited naval mission to help Libya's coastguard curb migrant flows.

Jugend Rettet says on its website it started patrolling the Mediterranean in July 2016 and has rescued 6,526 people in its first year of action.

"We want to put pressure on state actors to enforce the fundamental right to life and security even in the Mediterranean," the group says.

Minniti added on Thursday that the number of migrants to Italy had dropped in recent weeks, and that the Italian government would work with Chad, Niger and Mali on measures to reduce the number of migrants leaving for Europe.

Source: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/italy-seizes-ngo-rescue-boat-aiding-illegal-migration-1330988455