A ship carrying more than 600 rescued migrants, including 123 unaccompanied minors and seven pregnant women, is stranded in the Mediterranean Sea after Italy’s new populist government refused permission for it to dock.
Matteo Salvini, the interior minister and leader of the anti-immigration League party, declared on Sunday on Facebook that Italy was saying “no to human trafficking”, CNN reported.
The ship, Aquarius, is operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the SOS Mediterranee organizations.
Aquarius rescued 629 people Saturday night into Sunday morning—taking on people from two rubber vessels as well as “Italian navy ships, Italian coast guard ships and merchant vessels” in six different operations, MSF and SOS said on Twitter.
The organizations said the boat was located 35 nautical miles from Italy and 27 nautical miles from Malta.
The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center told Aquarius Sunday to “standby in [their] current position,” MSF tweeted.
Hard Stance
In his Facebook post on Sunday, Salvini argued that Italy was far from the only European country to adopt an unwelcoming stance on migrants.
“In the Mediterranean Sea, there are boats carrying Dutch, Spanish, Gibraltar and British flags. There are NGOs from Spain and Germany, meanwhile there is also Malta that does not welcome anyone,” he wrote.
“There is France too, that refuses and pushes back at their border. There is Spain that protects their own borders with weapons, well, that means all of Europe is minding its own private interest.”
“Starting today Italy will commence to say NO to human trafficking, NO to the business of clandestine immigration.”
“My objective is to guarantee a peaceful life to all these people in Africa and to our children in Italy.”
MSF said earlier that Italy had reportedly asked Malta to disembark the rescued migrants there.
Dangerous Situation
However, Malta’s Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security has issued a statement saying Malta is not responsible for the rescue effort coordinated by the Aquarius.
Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Twitter that he had taken a call from his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte to discuss the issue.
“Malta is in full conformity with international obligations and will not take the vessel in its ports. We will continue, where possible, carrying out individual and humanitarian emergency medical evacuations,” Muscat tweeted.
In a separate tweet he added, “We are concerned at #Italy authorities’ directions given to #Acquarius on high seas. They manifestly go against international rules, and risk creating a dangerous situation for all those involved.”
Politics Above Human Lives
On Twitter, MSF expressed concern that “again politics are being placed above people’s lives.
“The priority must be the importance of the well being & safety of the people on board,” it said. MSF project coordinator Aloys Vimard told journalist Anelise Borges that the ship had enough food and water for two to three days.
The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, said on Twitter that the situation needed a quick resolution.
“States and actors involved should rapidly find solutions to allow migrants and refugees on board the #Aquarius to disembark safely and quickly. Hundreds of people urgently need assistance, slowing down operations puts their well-being at risk,” it said.
MSF said there were 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and seven pregnant women among the migrants on board the Aquarius.
It earlier described the ship heading toward the Search and Rescue zone (SAR) off the coast of Libya after reports of multiple smaller vessels in distress.
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