The French humanitarian organization “SOS Mediterranee” announced the rescue of 92 migrants, who were aboard a rubber boat off the Libyan coast.
According to a press release issued by the organization, the search and rescue ship “Ocean Viking” was able to rescue nine women, 40 unaccompanied minors, in addition to 43 men.
According to the statement, most of the migrants suffered from exhaustion, and burns and injuries resulting from fuel.
SOS MEDITERRANEE added that “shortly after the rescue, the Italian authorities assigned Salerno as a Place of Safety for the 92 survivors on Ocean Viking, 450 NM (833kms) away. As the weather forecast is deteriorating, we fear that the prolonged navigation will impact the fragile condition of the survivors.”
On Saturday, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission’s (FFM) report on violations against migrants. It said that the mission “showed a clear silence towards the efforts made by the officials at the Ministry of Justice in the face of human rights violations.”
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry added that “most of the violations mentioned in the mission’s report were committed during the previous years of war and division, not during the current government, and this was not clarified.”
It also stated that the report “ignored the efforts of the Libyan authorities in combating crime, especially drug trafficking, and prostitution.” It claimed that a large number of irregular migrants are involved in these criminal activities.
The Ministry noted that the FFM should have cited the current improvement in migrant conditions in Libya, compared to previous years.
It indicated that the report “turned a blind eye to the challenges facing the stages of democratic transition, and that the international community was unable to provide effective assistance for comprehensive reform programs for the security and military sectors in Libya.”
The Ministry pointed out that “the work of international and UN diplomatic missions in all regions of Libya contradicts what was stated in the report about the limited places allocated to the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL).”
