On Monday, 43 people – including 17 women and three minors – were rescued off the coast of the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. While the migrants from Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Ivory Coast were being brought ashore, a heavily pregnant woman gave birth.
The mother and the little girl, who was named Fatima, are doing well, Lampedusa authorities said. The Ivorian and her child spent them in the hospital (see tweet below). In recent days, the rescuers had once again shown how close life and death are in the Mediterranean. On Sunday afternoon, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl died in the presence of her 21-year-old mother. Since October 21, 11 children have died in nine shipwrecks off the coast of Lampedusa.
Under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s new government, which was installed in October, Italy has taken a tough stance against NGOs rescuing migrants. The aid organizations are accused of supporting people smuggling. Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea since early 2022.
Rome wants to restrict systematic rescue operations
Now you want to stop the rescue organizations one more time. The government in Rome wants to curb systematic rescue operations by NGO ships bringing migrants to Italy. According to media reports, rescued refugees should submit their asylum applications on Monday on board the rescue ships, which should be taken over by the ship’s flag state.
According to another provision of the decree, in an operation in international waters, rescuers must request a port for the ship to call immediately after the rescue, without spending days at sea waiting for other possible rescues, government sources in Rome said. Italy wants to prevent rescue ships with several hundred people on board from arriving in southern Italy. NGOs that do not comply with the rules will be fined 50,000 euros. There are also threats of confiscation of the ship.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
