Dozens drown on Libya migrant boat; Italy impounds rescue ship

By Tom Miles

 

Military vehicles of members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces head out from Misrata to the front line in Tripoli, Misrata, Libya May 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe drowned in the Mediterranean on Friday and 100 more were sent back to Libya, the United Nations said, while Italian authorities signalling opposition to more migration from Africa seized a rescue ship.

 

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said 65 people drowned when their boat capsized off Tunisia, and 101 others who had been picked up at sea were returned to Libya, despite repeated warnings that it is not a safe country to send people back to.

 

It was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe via north Africa this year.

 

Tripoli, a hub for migrants and refugees hoping to sail to Europe after a perilous trek through the Sahara, has long been a dangerous dead end: Many end up in detention centres or being tortured by their captors while money is extorted from their families, according to UNHCR.

 

But it has become even more dangerous since forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar began an offensive a month ago on the capital, triggering renewed warfare between rival Libyan factions.

 

Haftar is an "aspiring military dictator" planning a "Gadhafi-style military dictatorship", according to an op-ed in Friday's Wall Street Journal by Libya's internationally recognised Prime Minister Fayez Serraj.

 

Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters that the international community needed to stabilise Libya and the sub-Saharan countries producing flows of migrants, and stop "fuelling the fire by giving generals hope that they can take over".

 

Europeans bore part of the responsibility to avoid the "mass haemorrhage of human lives in the Mediterranean," he said.

 

PEOPLE SMUGGLERS

 

"We were shocked that 250 people died crossing the Berlin Wall during a generation of Cold War, and now we seem to accept 2,500 or more people dying per year in the Mediterranean. Again, it is a damning verdict of the so-called European civilisation."

 

On Friday, Italy let a boat carrying 30 rescued migrants dock at an Italian port but Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said it would be impounded and not let out to sea again.

 

The migrants, including two pregnant women, a baby and four unaccompanied minors, were picked up by the Mare Jonio on Thursday some 40 miles (64 km) off the coast of Libya as their rubber boat was sinking.

 

"The last voyage for the boat ... Mare Jonio. Blocked and seized. Bye bye," Salvini wrote on Twitter.

 

Italy's government has repeatedly accused rescuers of being complicit with people smugglers, who charge large sums to help migrants get to Europe, and Salvini has closed the country's ports to their boats, most of which have stopped sailing.

 

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the U.N. refugee agency had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the lack of boats to pick up people fleeing from "the horrendous and horrible situation" in Libya.

 

"It’s really a desperate situation, we have been calling on states to build up search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean, we have been sharing our concern about not having any boats to rescue these people," he said.

 

Asked why the United Nations did not charter a ship to rescue people, he said: “We cannot replace states’ capacity, and states have a responsibility under international maritime law."

 

During the Tripoli battle, UNHCR has evacuated 309 refugees to Niger and Italy, and transferred others to a departure facility, now almost full with 617 people, and it hopes to evacuate them on May 23.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-10

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Obviously this could have been prevented. All of them could have applied for travel visas before they started their journey. And after they got their visas they could have taken planes to get to their desired destination. That would have been a lot safer.

25 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Obviously this could have been prevented. All of them could have applied for travel visas before they started their journey. And after they got their visas they could have taken planes to get to their desired destination. That would have been a lot safer.

So please explain how an asylum seeker in a repressive country can obtain the necessary doco and apply for a travel visa in country e.g. someone seeking to escape Eritrean forced indefinite conscription or Islamist warlords in Somalia. As an example Italian & German consular services for Somalia are actually located in Kenya.

Edited May 10, 20197 yr by simple1

6 minutes ago, simple1 said:

So please explain how an asylum seeker in a repressive country can obtain the necessary doco and apply for a travel visa in country e.g. someone seeking to escape Eritrean forced indefinite conscription or Islamist warlords in Somalia

Most of them do not qualify as asylum seekers, that is why they throw away passports, if they had them, and then lie about their country of origin. Being poor and from a hell hole are not grounds for 'asylum'. Hopefully this boat sinking will put a few more off, Europe does not need or want any more fake asylum seekers.

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Being poor and from a hell hole are not grounds for 'asylum'.

Any suggestions for them? 

 

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Most of them do not qualify as asylum seekers, that is why they throw away passports, if they had them, and then lie about their country of origin. Being poor and from a hell hole are not grounds for 'asylum'. Hopefully this boat sinking will put a few more off, Europe does not need or want any more fake asylum seekers.

So you're claiming Eritreans and Somalis trying to escape from persecution / repression would not meet criteria for asylum seeker status? Economic refugees are an entirely different issue. Some info on African economic refugees...

 

https://africacenter.org/spotlight/dynamics-african-economic-migration/

 

I note the usual indifference, indeed a degree of pleasure, to loss of life at sea for 'others'

10 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Any suggestions for them? 

 

No they never do.just something nasty to say .how lucky we are not to be born in a bad country 

Edited May 10, 20197 yr by Tug

11 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Being poor and from a hell hole are not grounds for 'asylum'. Hopefully this boat sinking will put a few more off, Europe does not need or want any more fake asylum seekers.

 

Given the history of exploitation and Euro colonization of most of those hell holes, and the way they were dropped like hot potatoes when they were no longer of strategic use, and divided by the Allies along untenable borders that made no ethnic or nationalist sense, I wouldn't refer to them as refugees. 

 

I'd call them the chickens.  Coming home to roost. 

 

We're going to be paying for past sins for centuries.  If only we could learn from history and not be committing new sins that will haunt us even longer.

 

 

11 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Any suggestions for them? 

 

Stay at home and save the large amount of money they pay to traffickers, Europe cannot take them all in

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Given the history of exploitation and Euro colonization of most of those hell holes, and the way they were dropped like hot potatoes when they were no longer of strategic use, and divided by the Allies along untenable borders that made no ethnic or nationalist sense, I wouldn't refer to them as refugees. 

 

I'd call them the chickens.  Coming home to roost. 

 

We're going to be paying for past sins for centuries.  If only we could learn from history and not be committing new sins that will haunt us even longer.

 

 

So you think an invasion of economic migrants into Europe is justified because some countries were colonized, given independence and then they failed and got screwed over by corrupt local leaders, mostly dictators. Developing trade and spreading western values was never a 'sin'.

45 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Obviously this could have been prevented. All of them could have applied for travel visas before they started their journey. And after they got their visas they could have taken planes to get to their desired destination. That would have been a lot safer.

Also could have been prevented if the Western world police had let Gaddafi alone.

9 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

So you think an invasion of economic migrants into Europe is justified because some countries were colonized, given independence and then they failed and got screwed over by corrupt local leaders, mostly dictators. Developing trade and spreading western values was never a 'sin'.

You do understand that colonial powers & the US in ME&A enabled dictatorships? e.g.

 

https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/how-us-nurtured-dictators-to-africas-detriment-17744850

Edited May 10, 20197 yr by simple1

31 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Stay at home and save the large amount of money they pay to traffickers, Europe cannot take them all in

I am inclined to believe that this doesn’t improve their situation and that might be doing the same if you were in their shoes. 

21 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

So you think an invasion of economic migrants into Europe is justified because some countries were colonized, given independence and then they failed and got screwed over by corrupt local leaders, mostly dictators. Developing trade and spreading western values was never a 'sin'.

 

If that's your internal narrative for how colonization worked and how and why it came to an end, and believe that the corrupt local leaders haven't been propped up by western countries and multi-nationals, I can understand you believing what you do.  To be honest, that's what we learned in high school, too.  So we could feel good about saying the pledge of allegiance, become compliant employees for those multi-nationals and support our leaders no matter where they took us to war.

 

Then I woke up...

 

 

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Any suggestions for them? 

 

Yes. Instead of these fit young males spending up to $10,000 getting smuggled into Europe, I suggest they club together and use their high energy and money to change the political situation back home. Sounds like too much bother? Yes, but western nations were not handed on a plate. Our ancestors fought bitter wars and endured economic hardships to hand us the civilized societies so many take for granted. That is the only long term solution. It is a sad fact that not every African male can fit into the Porte de la Chapelle or Malmo, and the Europeans can not give them free money forever(although some dearly want to).

How far down the ladder of human misery an individual goes to find someone to kick says  great deal about them.

 

Today migrants drowned at sea, another day beggars, addicts or the mentally ill.

 

The same people spewing their bile on people less fortunate than themselves.

 

 

No point having immigration laws or visas at all if we are going to continue this madness of letting economic migrants flout them by claiming to be 'asylum seekers'. There are after all potentially millions more almost all uneducated and unskilled Africans itching to come over. Europe is full.

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

So please explain how an asylum seeker in a repressive country can obtain the necessary doco and apply for a travel visa in country e.g. someone seeking to escape Eritrean forced indefinite conscription or Islamist warlords in Somalia. As an example Italian & German consular services for Somalia are actually located in Kenya.

You answer your own question: They should go to Kenya and apply there.

3 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Yes. Instead of these fit young males spending up to $10,000 getting smuggled into Europe, I suggest they club together and use their high energy and money to change the political situation back home. Sounds like too much bother? Yes, but western nations were not handed on a plate. Our ancestors fought bitter wars and endured economic hardships to hand us the civilized societies so many take for granted. That is the only long term solution. It is a sad fact that not every African male can fit into the Porte de la Chapelle or Malmo, and the Europeans can not give them free money forever(although some dearly want to).

Quite a number of the ancestors of these foreign fellows fought bitter wars alongside your ancestors in the service of colonial powers for the good of colonial powers.

 

The only thing going for you is you were fortunate to have been born somewhere that gave you opportunities in life.

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Any suggestions for them? 

They could start by improving their own governments. I am sure that's not easy. But nobody said everything must be easy.

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The only thing going for you is you were fortunate to have been born somewhere that gave you opportunities in life.

 

And were on the receiving end of all the loot pilfered from the former colonies.

 

1 hour ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

Any suggestions for them? 

 

Learn to swim before the boat ride

33 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Quite a number of the ancestors of these foreign fellows fought bitter wars alongside your ancestors in the service of colonial powers for the good of colonial powers.

 

The only thing going for you is you were fortunate to have been born somewhere that gave you opportunities in life.

By your logic then anyone from the uk should be allowed into the USA because they fought alongside us in bitter wars.

3 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

By your logic then anyone from the uk should be allowed into the USA because they fought alongside us in bitter wars.

No that’s not what he said but fore an accident of birth it could have been you(if you have the courage)on that boat what is needed is to change the laws governing asylum have a bit of compassion other wise you don’t come off so well

18 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

By your logic then anyone from the uk should be allowed into the USA because they fought alongside us in bitter wars.

 

Last time I checked, they are allowed in.  And there's reciprocity.

 

Edited May 11, 20197 yr by impulse

Yet another tragedy with the loss of innocent lives.  Didn't this whole exodus from Libya originally start by the destabilisation of Libya in order to depose Gaddafi  ?

Edited May 11, 20197 yr by geoffbezoz

25 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Last time I checked, they are allowed in.  And there's reciprocity.

 

Don't know who you checked with because this is simply not true. This thread is not about tourist visas.

6 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Don't know who you checked with because this is simply not true. This thread is not about tourist visas.

 

What visa?  UK citizens can travel to the USA on the visa waiver program.  And once they're in, they can file for asylum.  Though I'm not sure that many do...

 

 

Edited May 11, 20197 yr by impulse

Sorry that they were born in a shit country ,but thats their problem ,not ours ,stay in your own country ,dont come to the west and make it  just like the places you came from ,to many towns in the UK are now just terrible ,like my old home town .

6 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

Sorry that they were born in a shit country ,but thats their problem ,not ours ,stay in your own country ,dont come to the west and make it  just like the places you came from ,to many towns in the UK are now just terrible ,like my old home town .

 

I'm pretty sure their home towns were nice before Euro colonialists robbed them blind and kidnapped millions for slavery.  In fact, every year archaeologists are finding more and more evidence of advanced civilizations in the 3rd world that were decimated by colonialism.  Rewriting the history books we were taught from.  Written, of course, by the winners.

 

Edited May 11, 20197 yr by impulse