Children rescued in the Mediterranean must be allowed to disembark in a safe port, charities said on Saturday, amid a stalemate over the issue of migrant arrivals in Italy, now ruled by the far right.
“We have a lot of babies on board, as well as women with children. It is urgent to assign us a port“Hermione Poschmann, of the German association Mission Lifeline, which manages the rescue ship Rise Above, told AFP.
Italy’s new far-right government, which was sworn in last month, has pledged to crack down on migrants fleeing by boat from North Africa to Europe.
The Rise Above, which rescued 95 people in three operations on Thursday, is carrying 42 minors including eight babies, the youngest being only seven and ten months old. “The situation will continue to worsen due to the enormous psychological pressure on those on board“, lamented the head of the mission, Clemens Ledwa.
The German vessel is one of four aid boats currently seeking permission to dock as conditions at sea deteriorate due to bad weather. Rise Above, Humanity 1, Ocean Viking and Geo Barents alone house more than 1,000 people gathered in the Mediterranean.
Italy announced on Friday that it would allow Humanity 1, run by the German organization SOS Humanity and with 179 migrants on board, to enter its territorial waters so that medical checks can be carried out.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani assured that his country would welcome minors and pregnant women or women with young children, but that the ship would then have to leave.
Read alsoMigrants: Italy assigns a safe port to the Humanity 1 ship
The Geo Barrents, from the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and currently carrying 572 rescued people, said on Saturday that it had also entered Italian territorial waters to seek refuge there.after requesting and receiving the green light from the authorities“. “We have been waiting for more than ten days for a safe landing place“, underlined the head of the mission, Juan Matias Gil.