The Italian Ministry of Interior stated that documents confirm the NGO vessel “Mare Jonio,” operated by the Mediterranea Saving Humans platform, violated directives from the Libyan Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre on April 4.
Sources within the Italian Ministry of Interior told Italy’s AKI news that, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) vessel repeatedly received instructions to leave the operation area but refused to comply.
Additionally, a boat affiliated with the NGO vessel approached a Libyan patrol boat already carrying some rescued migrants, prompting them to throw themselves into the sea.
Security sources further stated that many individuals threw themselves into the water, with Libyans rescuing some of them again. Others were picked up by the NGO’s boat and transferred to the “Mare Jonio” vessel.
The ministry clarified that this situation meant the migrants on board the rescue ship were also put in extremely dangerous conditions, leading them to throw themselves into the sea.
“The actions of the NGO, in addition to its intervention in the rescue operation, created a highly perilous situation for migrants who threw themselves into the sea to reach its boat,” the sources added.
Notably, an Italian security report has revealed that the country received 157,551 irregular migrants via various Mediterranean migration routes last year, with 51,986 migrants arriving from Libya.
The number of migrants to Italy increased by about 50% compared to 2022, with the peak recorded in August 2023, when 25,673 migrants arrived, according to the report published by the AKI agency.
The Tunisian migration route ranked first with 97,667 migrants, followed by the Libyan route, then Turkey with 7,153 migrants, Algeria with 620 migrants, Lebanon with 214 migrants, and one migrant from Cyprus.
The report was issued on the occasion of the 172nd anniversary of the establishment of the Italian police forces.
