The French NGO SOS Méditerranée has asked Thursday for help to the governments of France, Spain and Greece to disembark the 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean and who are on board the rescue ship ‘Ocean Viking’ waiting to reach a safe harbor.
The organization has warned that this is a matter of urgency in the face of possible deteriorating weather conditions. «Strong winds and high waves are expected later this week,» the NGO said in a statement.
It has thus lamented that «supplies are running low» almost two weeks after SOS Méditerranée made the first request to dock at a safe port. While the first choice was Italy, the recent change of government and the anti-migration statements made by the new top Italian politicians have significantly reduced the possibilities.
This Wednesday, the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, expressed his refusal to allow the entry of migrants rescued by ships of various NGOs in the Mediterranean and asked that the countries of origin of these ships be the ones to receive the migrants.
This is why the organization has turned to other countries such as France, Spain and Greece, which «are in a better position to provide aid and a safe harbor.» However, the organization has clarified that «they are not looking for France to open a port for them» but simply to «contribute to finding a solution».
Since the beginning of 2022, some 1,700 people have disappeared in the Mediterranean, 1,287 of them in the central area, which is already the most dangerous migratory route in the world, according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Italian government data indicate that almost 86,000 people arrived by sea in Italy between January and November 2022, half of whom are from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh. In the same period of 2021, the figure was around 53,000, while in 2020 it was 28,300.
