At dawn this Sunday, three minors and a baby were the first to disembark at the port of Catania, Sicily, from the boat “Humanity 1” chartered by the humanitarian association SOS Humanity to help immigrants. They were followed by underage boys and men with medical problems, explained Petra Krischok, spokesperson for the German NGO.
Earlier, the new far-right Italian government led by Giorgia Meloni had indicated that it only authorized the disembarkation of the 144 minors and the sick, refusing to welcome on its soil 35 adult men present on the boat. “Thirty-five adult males are still on board. For now, we stay here and wait. The survivors are extremely depressed. A person has just cracked,” said Petra Krischok.
On Saturday, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the government would not backtrack on its humanitarian obligations but that those who are not “qualified” should be taken care of by the flag state of the country. vessel. A “selection of shipwrecked migrants” strongly criticized by the opposition deputy, Aboubakar Soumahoro, present during the landing in Catania.
For this elected official, there is a violation of international law and the Italian government treats “the shipwrecked, already exhausted by the cold, fatigue, trauma and torture as objects”. “If the remaining castaways are rejected, we will challenge this decision in all appropriate forums,” he said.
Three other boats with 900 migrants on board
Three other boats, which carry a total of 900 migrants, have also asked to be able to dock. These are the Rise Above, from the NGO Mission Lifetime, also under the German flag, but also the Ocean Viking from SOS Méditerranée and the Geo Barents from Médecins sans Frontières, registered in Norway.
Norway’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it took “no responsibility” for people rescued by Norwegian-flagged private vessels in the Mediterranean. For its part, Germany explained in a diplomatic “note” addressed to Italy, that charitable organizations “made an important contribution to the saving of human lives” and asked Rome “to help them as soon as possible”.