Italy Orders Boats Carrying 1,000 Migrants To Be Sent Back To Libya
Italy has continued its stance against migrants stranded off its coast, releasing a statement to European charities such as Spanish aid group Proactiva Open Arms (POA) to leave the migrants to the Libyan coast guard.
“Let the Libyan authorities do their work of rescue, recovery and return (of migrants) to their country, as they have been doing for some time, without the ships of the voracious NGOs disturbing them or causing trouble. Italian ports are and will be closed to those who aid human traffickers,” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said.
Proactiva Open Arms have said that the Italian coast guard received a distress signal from six boats on Sunday, which were carrying approximately 1,000 people. POA said Italy told rescue groups, including POA, that their help was not needed. Instead, the Italian coast guard handed the operation over to the Libyan coast guard.
Two other ships carrying 224 migrants, the Mission Lifeline and Alexander Maersk from Germany and Denmark, are currently sitting in the Mediterranean awaiting instructions on where they can dock. These two ships have been denied docking permissions from both Italy and Malta. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colao has said “Italy wants to leave the migrants in the hands of Libya, where they torture, rape and enslave’ migrants.”
The Italian government have been cracking down on foreign rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean in recent weeks, with Salvini repeatedly accusing charities such as POA of working alongside smugglers.
