Dream is Worth More Than Money

Estimated figures according to the IOM say that at least 27,000 people either died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean, since 2014. Those are women, children and men who, lost their lives because of reckless European policies concerning migration. And again, this is only the estimated number, as no one will ever know how many boats capsized and lives went missing in the "world’s deadliest crossing", the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the people would embark boats in Libya or, lately, Tunisia, and try to sail to Lampedusa or other Italian territories.

As of 2015, MSF conducted some 800 rescue operations, to save lives of people in distress at sea. During one of those rescues, in mid-July 2023, MSF teams rescued over 460 people from 12 boats, which were in distress. Majority of those people were from West African countries - such as Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Conakry, Benin, Ghana, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali - as well as from Somalia, Tunisia, Syria, Palestine, South Africa, and others.

Z. from Ghana explained his journey to the Central Mediterranean: "Police caught me twice in Libya. They beat me because they want money from me. During then, I didn't have any money [to give them]. I managed to escape. Then my friend told me to come to Tunisia, to try to cross to Europe by boat, and look for a better life. I had to walk for one week from Libya, via Zuwara to Ben Guardane in Tunisia, and then by car to Sfax. One week almost without any food or water."

After these 12 consecutive rescue operations were done, the Italian authorities have asked the team on Geo Barents to disembark 116 people in Lampedusa – a small Italian island close to Tunisia. Afterwards, the authorities instructed Geo Barents to disembark the remaining 346 survivors in two different ports - Marina Di Carrara and Livorno, both in northwest of Italy, with remarkable three-day sailing distance from where they were rescued. Recently, Italian authorities have adopted a new practice to send NGOs-run Search and Rescue vessels to far distant ports. According to the international maritime law, disembarkation of people rescued at sea should happen at the nearest safe port. Instead, the Italian authorities decided to prolong the suffering of people on board, without any rational reason, and keep rescue vessels such as Geo Barents away from operations in the SAR region.

"I lived in Libya, and that is not a good place to live, especially for a migrant. There, there is 50-50 change to either live or die. And on the boat - it's dangerous. We spent two days and two nights on the boat [before being rescued]. It was very dangerous," concluded Cwa.

Cwa perhaps gave the best reason why the Italian authorities should immediately change the practice of giving distant ports for disembarkation of survivors from NGO-run rescue vessels: Those people have already suffered enough, in their home countries, in route or in Libya or Tunisia. The Italian government should do whatever it takes to stop unreasonable and unnecessary harm caused by migration policies.

MSF has been running search and rescue (SAR) activities in the Central Mediterranean since 2015, working on eight different SAR vessels (alone or in partnership with other NGOs). Some of the above mentioned 12 rescues were done in support from Association Pilotes Volontaires' airplane Colibri 2, and Mare Go rescue vessel.

All names were changed to protect identity of people involved.