Italy on Tuesday allowed a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) boat carrying 558 migrants rescued at sea to dock at the Sicilian port of Augusta.
MSF said its ship, the Geo Barents, had rescued 558 people, mainly Africans, off the coast of Libya during eight separate operations over the last 11 days. Among the 558 people, 178 were minors; an eight months pregnant woman was also aboard the vessel.
Furthermore, German charity boat Sea-Watch 3 is waiting off-shore for permission to bring in another 440 migrants, including women and children, it rescued in the Mediterranean. Sea Watch wrote on Twitter: “The weather deteriorates...Everyone has the right to disembark.”
Last night, 4 people needed to be evacuated from #SeaWatch3. A young pregnant woman, her sister, a man with medical problems, and his son.
— Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) December 28, 2021
The weather deteriorates & we still have 440 people on board, including women and small children.
Everyone has the right to disembark, now.
Italy has registered a sharp increase in migrant boats as the government struggles to secure an agreement with the European Union (EU) on ways to deal with the influx of migrants. Interior Ministry data shows that, as of December 28, 66,482 migrants reached Italy this year compared to 34,134 in 2020. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) also reported that 1,508 people have died while trying to cross the central Mediterranean.
In November, a German migrant rescue vessel with 800 people on board docked at the Sicilian port of Trapani after getting permission from Italian authorities. Similarly, on December 26, the Coast Guard reported the arrival of 517 migrants at the port of Crotona in Calabria.
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday discussed illegal migration with Tunisian President Kais Saied during his first visit to the North African country. The Italian Minister praised Tunisia’s efforts to stem illegal migration, while Saied called for new strategies to encourage regular migration. Back in May, Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese offered economic aid to Tunisia in exchange for measures to stop migrants from reaching Italy illegally.
Italy is a key entry point for thousands of migrants from Africa. Every year, tens of thousands of migrants board dinghies off the shores of Libya and Tunisia in search of better lives in Europe.