The rescue of about 800 migrants aboard an overloaded fishing boat was ongoing, and the coast guard said that the boat was located inside Italian waters more than 190 kilometres southeast of the Sicilian town of Syracuse. Three patrol boats and a merchant ship were coordinating the rescue effort, with the operation being described as complex due to overcrowding. Another rescue operation was also underway with the Italian coastguard ship, “Diciotti,” intercepting a second fishing vessel carrying 400 migrants some 170 miles southeast of the southernmost tip of Sicily, with two merchant vessels assisting.
The current missions are part of a larger rescue operation, with about 2,000 people having already been saved since Friday in a large number of operations, according to the Italian Coastguard. Thousands have landed on Italy’s shores recently, particularly on the island of Lampedusa, after making the dangerous journey from Tunisia aboard flimsy vessels. Tunisia has now overtaken Libya as a main departure point for individuals seeking to escape poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East. Operations to crack down on people trafficking in Libya have made Tunisia a more accessible option, leading to an increase in departures from the country.
According to Felix Weiss, a spokesperson for the non-governmental rescue organization Sea-Watch, the rise in crossings has several explanations. Factors such as the extremely difficult human rights situation in Tunisia and Libya, the crumbling economy in these countries, and very high inflation are currently driving people to leave these countries. Additionally, the type of vessels migrants are arriving aboard is different, being large metal structures that, while unseaworthy, are nevertheless vulnerable to capsizing, Weiss said.
The rescue operations come at a time when the Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition, seeks to impede the work of civil sea rescue organizations. Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party won elections last year on a pledge to curb arrivals by sea, and her ruling coalition, which includes Matteo Salvini’s League, has clamped down on charities that rescue migrants.
Critics have accused Rome’s policy of treating migrant boats as a law enforcement issue, rather than a humanitarian one, of potentially delaying responses to shipwrecks. Last month, at least 79 people died.
