Italian security sources announced that a new rescue operation took place in the central Mediterranean. Sources stated that “71 people who fled Libya in international waters were rescued by the crew of the Louise Michel ship,” according to the Italian news agency, AKI.
The security sources reported that “the boat in danger was reported by the Colibri2 surveillance plane. Among the migrants, there is also a pregnant woman.” The Louise Michel ship was formerly owned by the French Navy, and is now operated by a humanitarian organization of the same name.
This latest rescue operation highlights the ongoing migration and human trafficking crisis in the Mediterranean. Countless individuals risk their lives to escape conflict, persecution, and economic hardship in their home countries. The efforts of humanitarian organizations and the bravery of their crews are crucial in saving lives, and providing assistance to those in need.
Notably, the Head of Libya’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency, Colonel Mohamed Al-Khawja confirmed that the possibility of settling illegal immigrants in Libya is “categorically rejected.”
Al-Khawja held a meeting with officials from African countries, to reach solutions on the issue of migrants. He noted that this rejection is “primarily popular and from all Libyan components.”
He stressed that “Libya will not be the alternative homeland for the people of the region who suffer from a difficult economic situation, and that countries should find job solutions to stop the migration of their citizens. Libya has actually started the procedures for deporting immigrants who entered the country illegally… The Libyan labour market can no longer absorb this large number of immigrants.”
Notably, Libya’s former Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Al-Dabbashi denounced what he called Italy’s attempts at settling immigrants in Libya.
Al-Dabbashi claimed that an Italian NGO is behind the settlement project. He stated that “it is an executive arm of the project funded by the Italian Immigration Fund through the Department of Italians Abroad and Immigration Policies of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
