The organization SOS Humanity claims to have rescued 77 people in the Mediterranean. But she was hindered – by the Libyan coast guard, who fired into the water. At least one person drowned.
The crew of the rescue ship “Humanity 1” said they saved 77 people from drowning in the Mediterranean on Saturday. “There are currently 77 people on board ‘Humanity 1’ and are being looked after by the crew, including minors. Many survivors are suffering from hypothermia,” said SOS Humanity on Saturday evening in Berlin.
The organization sharply criticized the Libyan coast guard: During the operation, the crew was threatened by gunfire. The Libyan coast guard used force and fired live ammunition into the water.
“Aggressive and life-threatening Behave”
After the rescue of the people was completed, the Italian authorities assigned the ship Porto Empedocle as a safe port. Shortly afterwards, the more distant port of Bari was chosen as the place for the rescued people to disembark, it said.
“As the operations manager on site, ‘Humanity 1’ was responsible for carrying out the rescue operation, which, however, could not be completed due to the aggressive and life-threatening behavior of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard,” the statement said.
The coast guard’s intervention resulted in “people jumping into the water and at least one person drowning,” it said. Some of the people were forced aboard the Libyan patrol boat, which separated family members.
This behavior as well as the “lack of intervention by European authorities” led to deaths and “repatriation in violation of international law” of people to a country from which they fled, said SOS Humanity. The “threat to crew members of search and rescue ships” and the endangering of the lives of vulnerable people is “a gross violation of international law.”
Coast Guard spokesman reacted loudly News agency not
A spokesman for the Libyan Coast Guard did not respond to calls and text messages requesting comment, according to the AP news agency.
Since 2015, the European Union has been supporting the Libyan coast guard as part of its efforts to stem the passage of migrants from the North African country towards the Italian coast. Under this agreement, the coast guard intercepts migrants in Libyan and international waters and returns them to Libya.
The Mediterranean is one of the most dangerous escape routes in the world. In 2023, more than 3,000 people died or went missing during the crossing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Since the beginning of 2024 there have been 220.