According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 280 people are stuck on a Libyan coast guard ship in the Mediterranean. The people were intercepted on the crossing to Europe and should be brought back to the North African country, said the IOM last night. The Libyan authorities would not have let them go ashore.
Tripoli is currently not a safe haven due to heavy shelling. Italy has also classified its ports as unsafe due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Malta also announced in the evening that due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is currently no longer willing to leave refugees on land. „Malta is unable to offer refugees a safe stay,“ said a government statement. Aid to refugees on board rescue ships can no longer be guaranteed.
Severe conditions due to corona virus
According to the IOM, there are also women and children among permanent residents. The organization provides the people on board with food and water. Due to a curfew in Tripoli due to the corona virus, the operation takes place under additionally difficult conditions.
“The situation is tragic. Hundreds of people, exhausted from a 72-hour journey, have to spend the night on a crowded boat in difficult circumstances, ”said Libya IOM mission chief Frederico Soda, according to a statement. “The status quo cannot be maintained in this way. A comprehensive solution to the situation in the central Mediterranean is needed. ”
According to the IOM, more than 500 people have tried to get from Libya to Europe this week. 150 of them were accepted by the „Alan Kurdi“ flying the German flag. According to the spokesman for the organization Sea-Eye, Gorden Isler, the situation on the ship is also becoming more acute.
