According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a large number of individuals are unaccounted for and believed to have died when their boat capsized near the coast of Libya. This is the most recent tragic event involving migration in the northern region of Africa.
According to a statement from the IOM’s Libya office on Saturday, it is estimated that 61 individuals perished due to rough waters that capsized their boat after departing from Zuwara on the north-west coast of Libya.
According to survivors, approximately 86 individuals were on board.
The International Organization for Migration stated that the ship had left the coast of Zuwara on the night of December 13th and 14th.
Libya and Tunisia are principal departure points for people risking dangerous sea voyages in hopes of reaching Europe, via Italy.
According to the IOM office, the majority of those affected in the recent event were women and children from Nigeria, the Gambia, and other African nations. 25 individuals were saved and taken to a detention center in Libya.
The IOM office reported that a team provided medical assistance and all survivors were in satisfactory health.
According to Flavio Di Giacomo, a representative of IOM, there have been over 2,250 fatalities on the central Mediterranean migration path this year. This alarming number highlights the fact that not enough efforts are being made to rescue individuals at sea.
On June 14, the ship named Adriana, which was carrying 750 individuals from Libya to Italy, sank in the international waters near south-west Greece. The survivors reported that the majority of passengers were Syrians, Pakistanis, and Egyptians. Out of the total passengers, only 104 were able to survive while 82 bodies were retrieved.
According to the UN refugee agency, over 153,000 individuals seeking refuge or migration arrived in Italy this year from Tunisia and Libya.
Last year, Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister of Italy’s far-right party, won the elections by promising to put an end to illegal immigration.
On November 6th, the Italian government revealed their intentions to create facilities in Albania for housing asylum seekers. Meloni praised the agreement with Tirana as a significant step in managing the influx of migrants.
The deal includes the establishment of Albanian facilities with a capacity for up to 3,000 individuals. Only migrants rescued by Italian boats at sea will be brought to Albania; the facilities will not house asylum seekers who reach Italian shores. Minors, pregnant women, and vulnerable persons who arrive by sea will still be transferred to Italy.
Unfortunately, on the previous Wednesday, Albania’s constitutional court halted the approval, which was scheduled for Thursday by Parliament, of the recent agreement. This was in response to two appeals, one from the Albanian Democratic Party and the other from 28 members of parliament supporting former centre-right prime minister Sali Berisha.
The appeals claim that the agreement violates both the constitution and the international conventions that Albania has agreed to follow. The ratification will be put on hold until a verdict is reached by the court, which has a deadline of three months to make a decision.
For over ten years, Libya has been plagued by violence following the removal and death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a rebellion supported by NATO. This has resulted in the country becoming a prime location for human traffickers, who have been accused of committing various atrocities such as exploitation and enslavement.
“Irrefutably, it is a violation of the law for human traffickers to send a vessel packed with individuals into turbulent waters during this season. However, it is imperative for European officials to closely observe the Mediterranean, particularly at this time,” stated Di Giacomo to the Guardian. “We have been emphasizing this for a long time. This pathway lacks adequate surveillance, leading to frequent catastrophic events.”
Source: theguardian.com
