Calay News
The Italian government has been criticized for its alleged delay in responding to a new migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean. Last Sunday, nearly two-thirds of the 47 people on board went missing in Mediterranean waters. The opposition Democratic Party (PD) has called the tragedy “a disgrace for Italy and for Europe” and urged that the Mediterranean not become an open-air cemetery. The Italian Coast Guard has stated that the intervention took place outside the area of responsibility of Italian Rescue and Rescue (SAR) and has accused the other national maritime rescue centers involved of inactivity.
The humanitarian organization Alarm Phone has claimed that it informed the National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Rome, as well as the Libyan and Maltese authorities, about the distress situation of the vessel that issued the distress call, but the rescue was “knowingly delayed” and the migrants were “left to die.” The Italian non-governmental entity Mediterranea Saving has pointed out that Rome assumed “SAR coordination and gave instructions to intervene to three merchant ships, which instead limited themselves to observing for 24 hours,” while military vessels in the area were not mobilized.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has rejected the opposing criticism and said he is confident that the Coast Guard, the Italian Navy, and the Finance Guard never leave anyone without help. According to a spokesman for the Italian migration authorities, in the last few days, some 4,600 people have left the coasts of Tunisia and Libya for Sicily and Calabria. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Italian Coast Guard and Naval Forces rescue teams have rescued thousands of migrants in several operations over the weekend. Since the beginning of 2023, 17 thousand and 952 migrants have arrived in Italy, 194% more than in the same period last year. This increase in migration comes despite stricter measures against human trafficking and just a few days after the shipwreck off the coast of Cutro, which has claimed the lives of 79 people.
