49 migrants were repatriated to Ghana on 11 August. 270 migrants have been repatriated by Malta so far this year.
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Category Archives: Mediterranean
270 Migrants Repatriated From Malta to Date in 2009 (News, Data/Stats)
Filed under Data / Stats, Malta, Mediterranean, News
Maritime Security and Defence Conference (Conferences)
The biennial Maritime Security and Defence conference will be held 30 September to 2 October 2009 in Hamburg.
Among the scheduled presenters is Rear Admiral (UH) Salvatore Ruzittu from the Italian Navy who will speak about the situation in the Mediterranean region and the stream of migrants from Africa.
Click here for more information.
Click here for conference web site.
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Filed under Colloques / Conferences, Italy, Mediterranean
ECRE Interview : Thomas Hammarberg, COE Commissioner for Human Rights (News)
Excerpts:
“ECRE: The European Union is very keen in strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries such as Turkey and Libya in order to reduce the number of migrants entering irregularly the Union. Do you think this could have consequences for refugees who try to reach a safe haven in the EU?
TH: Migration policies are to be based on effective consultations and cooperation among host countries, transit countries and countries of origin. However, as stressed in my reports, legislative and other measures adopted by the EU or European states in order to effectively deal with migration flows should fully abide by international and European human rights law and standards. In this regard, I have made known my disapproval of bilateral or multilateral agreements for the forced returns of irregular migrants with countries, such as Libya, with a long-standing, proven record of torture. […]”
“ECRE: What is your opinion on the Italian policy of pushing back migrants to Libya without an assessment of their need for protection?
TH: Both in my latest report on Italy published in April and in subsequent statements that I made I have expressed my deep concern about migrant boat interceptions and forced returns of migrants from Italy to Libya. What requires states’ particular attention is the fact that among irregular migrants there are usually a substantial number of people who flee persecution or violence that necessitate the provision of international protection to them by European states. It is recalled that about 75% of the irregular migrants who reached Italy by sea in 2008 applied for asylum and around 50% of them were granted refugee or subsidiary refugee status. As a consequence, any legislative or administrative measures adopted with a view to tackling the phenomenon of irregular migration and entry into the country should not fail to take into proper consideration the particular needs of people who arrive in Europe and are in need of international protection.”
Click here for full ECRE interview.
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Filed under Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, News
Maltese MEP: Returning Migrants to Libya Protects Migrant Lives (News)
During a recent lecture at the Institute of European Studies and the Law Faculty of the Université Libree de Bruxelles, Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil said that “returning migrants to Libya might well be open to question but it was certainly preferable to allowing migrants to risk their lives in the first place by making the crossing in unseaworthy boats. He said that the solution lay in more effort on all sides, not least by affording prospective asylum seekers the possibility to apply for protection directly at the UNHCR’s office in Tripoli.”
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Filed under Malta, Mediterranean, News
Italy Forcibly Repatriates More Migrants to Libya (News)
14 migrants, after being rescued by an Italian fishing boat and after a renewed Maltese-Italian dispute over where the rescued migrants should be taken, were taken on board an Italian government vessel which in turn transferred them to a Libyan navy vessel. The migrants were first spotted by a Frontex aircraft operating from Malta.
“The incident yet again sparked the ire of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), who through its spokesperson Laura Boldrini insisted that both Malta and Italy should assume their international responsibilities and be humanitarian. The UNHCR spokesperson implored both states not to forcefully repatriate the migrants to Libya.”
Click here for article.
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502 migrants au Maroc retournés “volontairement” vers 20 pays (News)
“Ce projet de 18 mois, … a apporté une solution aux migrants en situation irrégulière sur le territoire marocain et souhaitant retourner dans leurs pays d’origine. Ainsi 502 migrants ont sollicité l’assistance de l’OIM et sont retournés volontairement vers 20 pays d’origine différents, principalement le Congo Brazzaville, la Côte d’Ivoire, la Guinée Conakry et la République Démocratique du Congo. La majorité (56%) de ces bénéficiaires est composée de jeunes hommes entre 21 et 30 ans ; on compte aussi 87 femmes et 30 mineurs, dont 20 enfants de moins de 3 ans.”
“Le projet de retour volontaire assisté et de réintégration est l’un des programmes phares menés par l’OIM en Afrique avec l’appui de bailleurs de fonds européens.” [La Belgique, l’Italie, la Norvège, les Pays-Bas et la Suisse.]
“Aujourd’hui, 1.918 migrants ont bénéficié du programme de retour volontaire mis en place par l’OIM au Maroc depuis fin 2005. Pour assurer la continuité de cette action, un nouveau projet de Retour volontaire régional assisté et de réintégration (LIMO) a été lancé en avril 2009 et permettra de répondre aux attentes de 1.000 migrants en situation irrégulière et en transit au Maroc. Ce projet, d’une durée de 12 mois, est financé par la Commission européenne, l’Italie, le Royaume-Uni et la Suisse.”
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Filed under Mediterranean, Morocco, News
Increased Shooting Deaths at Egypt-Israel Border May Be Related to Italy-Libya Agreement to Stop Migrants in the Mediterranean (News)
Reuters reports that there has been a recent increase in the shootings of African migrants by Egyptian authorities along the Egypt-Israel border. Six Africans have been shot to death by Egyptian police since May. “Monthly migrant arrests by Egypt at the border have surged, rising five-fold in May to 55 and then doubling again to 114 in June and 160 in July, security sources said. That compares to just six arrests in January.”
The article suggests that the migrant and refugee stream from the Horn of Africa that has most recently tended to cross Egypt to Libya and then on to Italy may now be shifting to the east because the route from Libya to Italy is blocked by the Italy-Libya agreement to turn back migrants.
“’The numbers (at the Egypt-Israel border) are increasing. That route is being used again more heavily than before,’ said Gasser Abdel Razek, Egypt country director of refugee legal aid group AMERA. ‘I heard it (Libya) is becoming difficult for them … I am hearing there is strong monitoring along this route, on the border between Libya and Sudan,’ said Mohamed Dualeh, head of an office of the U.N. refugee agency in Kassala in east Sudan, through which many migrants transit, especially Eritreans. ‘If you are a human being, and you cannot go because one route is blocked, you look for another route,’ he said.”
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EU May Fund “Accommodation Centres” In Libya (News)
EC Vice-President Jacques Barrot said that the EU and Belgium will offer “a financial package of 80 million euros to enable Libya deal with the perennial problem of illegal migration through its territories.”
”He said from the financial package, Libya was expected to use 20 million euros to build accommodation centres for asylum seekers while Brussels would increase its financial aid to Libya to 60 million euros to enable Tripoli manage the illegal immigration through its territories.”
”According to Mr. Barrot, the EU will reach an agreement with Libyan authorities under which people seeking political asylum in Europe can do so from Libya.”
Click here and here (francais) for articles.
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Filed under European Union, Libya, Mediterranean, News
EC Asks Italy for Explanation Regarding Forced Returns (News)
EC Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot said “the commission had asked the Italian government for explanations on how some boats with irregular migrants, some asking for humanitarian protection, were returned to Libya.” The EC is trying “to determine whether Italy is breaching obligations set down in international and EU law.”
“We want to know exactly and in detail what happened and what kind of operations were carried out, Barrot’s spokesman said on Monday (20 July). Italy has not been given a deadline by which to reply to the Commission.”
“The UNHCR says at least 900 people have been picked up and sent back to Libya since May, when Italy began its new policy of intercepting boats and returning would-be immigrants.”
“However, Barrot appears to believe that the incident will not be repeated. I’ve been reassured that there is no perceived need for such operations, because, thanks to [the] agreement between Italy and Libya, far fewer illegal migrants are coming in, he said after meeting [Italy’s interior minister Roberto] Maroni.”
Click here and here and here for articles.
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Filed under European Union, Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, News
New Arrivals in Malta (News, Statistics)
Times of Malta - Statistics as of 25 July 2009
For the second time in the month of July, a group of 44 migrants arrived in Malta. The group reportedly consisted of 17 Somalis, 21 Mali nationals, 3 nationals of Ivory Coast, 2 Gambians and 1 national of Guinea.
Click here and here and here for articles.
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Filed under Data / Stats, Malta, Mediterranean, News
New Surveillance Plane for Frontex Operation “Nautilus IV” (News)
Luxembourg has provided a leased maritime patrol airplane, a CASA 212, to the Armed Forces of Malta for use during the ongoing Frontex operation “Nautilus IV” in the central Mediterranean. The German Police continue to provide several Puma helicopters to Frontex. The helicopters operate from Malta.
Click here and here and here for articles.
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Filed under Frontex, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Mediterranean, News
Libya Seeks €200-€300 million From EU in Exchange for Assistance With Migrants (News)
EC Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot plans to travel to Libya after the summer holidays to discuss EU – Libyan cooperation regarding migrants who transit Libya for Europe.
Barrot hopes to visit Libya with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres. “’I know his administration is not very keen (on the trip), but he understands the problems,’ he said. The UN refugee agency has harshly criticised bilateral agreements signed between Italy and Libya to turn back would-be refugees.”
“’[Libya is] demanding impossible things,’ he said, explaining that Tripoli has put ‘enormous’ financial demands on the EU in exchange for its help. ‘We proposed 20 million euros, but they are asking for 200 to 300 million,’ sources in Barrot’s entourage said. Tripoli says it needs the funds to monitor its border with Niger and Chad.”
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Filed under Frontex, Libya, Mediterranean, News
UNHCR Criticises Italy’s Push-Back Policy (News)
“UNHCR staff in Libya have [interviewed] people who were intercepted by the Italian Navy on the high seas on July 1 about 30 nautical miles from the Italian island of Lampedusa. They were transferred to a Libyan ship and later transported to Libya. Based on subsequent interviews, it does not appear that the Italian Navy made any attempt to establish nationalities or reasons for fleeing their countries.”
“Once in Libya, the group was placed in detention centers…. Of those attempting to reach Italy, 76 originate from Eritrea, including nine women and at least six children. Based on UNHCR’s assessment of the situation in Eritrea and our interviews with the people themselves, it is clear that a significant number from this group are in need of international protection.”
“During interviews UNHCR heard disturbing accounts alleging that force was used by Italian personnel during the transfer to the Libyan vessel. … In view of the seriousness of these allegations, UNHCR has sent a letter to the Italian Government requesting information on the treatment of people returned to Libya and asking that international norms be respected.”
“Since the beginning of May, a new push-back policy was introduced and at least 900 people trying to reach Italy by sea have now been sent to other countries, mainly to Libya. UNHCR has expressed serious concerns about the impact of this new policy which, in the absence of adequate safeguards, can prevent access to asylum and undermines the international principle of non-refoulement.”
Click here for UNHCR briefing note.
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Filed under Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, News, UNHCR
Malta: Monthly Migrant Arrival Numbers 01/2004 – 07/2009 (Statistics)
Filed under Data / Stats, Malta, Mediterranean
Frontex: Italy-Libya Repatriation Agreement is “Effective” and Saves Lives (News)
Further to the previous post, in the same press conference, Frontex’s Arias-Fernandez seemed to characterise the repatriation agreement in a completely positive manner and, while conceding that the fate of migrants returned to Libya is unknown, Arias-Fernandez apparently did not express concern over the fact that migrants who are forcibly repatriated to Libya have no procedure by which to seek protection under international refugee law, EU subsidiary protections, or the European Convention on Human Rights.
Arias-Fernandez: ”From January 1 2009 to July 5, there were 333 illegal arrivals [by boat in Italy] according to our people in the field. For the same period last year there were 776. As for Sicily, including Lampedusa, the [number of migrants] passed from last year’s 14,806 to 6,760 this year.”
“From May 15 on … when the [Italy-Libya] agreements became effective, [Frontex] agents noticed even more of a decrease. The decrease in this last month and a half may have even reached -70%. Based on our statistics, we are able to say that the agreements have had a positive impact. On the humanitarian level, fewer human lives have been put at risk, due to fewer departures. But our agency does not have the ability to confirm if the right to request asylum as well as other human rights are being respected in Libya.”
Click here for ANSA article.
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Filed under Frontex, Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, News
MIGRANTS AT SEA 