Mission 16 of MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans has set sail

Yesterday at 19:30, the MARE JONIO, MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans’ ship, set sail from the port of Siracusa, heading towards the central Mediterranean for its sixteenth monitoring and rescue mission at sea. A few days ago, Mission 15 ended with the disembarkation in Pozzallo of 113 shipwrecked people rescued in the night of 23-24 March in two separate operations by the only Italian-flagged Civil Fleet vessel, to which must be added the 59 people rescued in cooperation with the Italian Coast Guard.

On-board head of mission Denny Castiglione said, "We are headed to the so-called 'Libyan SAR zone', the area where the systematic violations of human rights take place. This happens due to the political decision taken by the Italian and European governments. The same decision that has caused, since the beginning of the year, numerous shipwrecks and almost 400 verified victims, a number that does not take into account the people missing at sea and the ‘ fanthom shipwrecks' - all those shipwrecks that we know nothing about.

The Libyan militias, paid millions and supplied with naval and ground equipment, have the task of capturing and deporting those who try to escape from the camps: since the beginning of the year, 3,791 women, men and children have been sent back to Libya this way.
Despite the obvious violations of human rights and international law, the European Union and its member states, Italy in the lead, do not intervene in a case of distress, preferring to 'wait' for the so-called Libyan coast guard to do its dirty work as illegal border police.

Every year tens of thousands of women, men and children suffer the violence of this system: Not only Libya is not a 'place of safety', i.e. a 'safe place', but it is the hell from which people try to escape." 

Italy and Europe are now trying to replicate the 'Libyan model' in Tunisia. In March 2024 alone, the Tunisian military conducted 160 interception operations, forcibly bringing 5,133 people back to shore. A continuous violence that fails to stop departures to Lampedusa, and causes only suffering and new tragedies.

"We dedicate the first thoughts of this mission," Castiglione adds, "to Amina, a 20-year-old girl who lost her life in the shipwreck that occurred last night only 33 miles from Lampedusa."

In this context, the criminalisation of solidarity by the Italian authorities continues: despite the fact that several courts have now suspended or declared illegitimate the so-called Piantedosi Decree, which systematically blocks the Civil Fleet ships, the Meloni government uses every means at its disposal to keep those who could save lives at sea away from the central Mediterranean. A few weeks ago, the preliminary phase of the investigation against 7 Mediterranea activists began for 'aggravated aiding and abetting illegal immigration' in reference to the September 2020 mission, in which 27 people were brought to safety.

"The will to close external borders to asylum claims of refugees and displaced persons by the European Union and its member states, is blatant." says Laura Marmorale, president of MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans "The ones who pay the price for these inhuman policies, which are based on the systematic violation of human rights and cause a large number of innocent victims, are the people on the move who die at sea, in the desert and in Libyan lagers, and suffer violence, torture and racism throughout North Africa.

That is why Mare Jonio is back in the central Mediterranean, together with the other ships of the Civil Fleet: to rescue people in danger and document the human rights violations they suffer. Because the Mediterranean is where we have to be'.

Siracusa, 4th April 2024