Even before the past months of fighting worsened Libya’s downward spiral, conditions inside the centres were desperate. “But today nobody is bothering about food [in detention centres].”. The UN agency also said it provided assistance to another 79 people who were returned to Libya by coast guards, while "eight others are reported missing at sea." The officer – sent last year to Italy for training along with dozens of other Coast Guard members – said he and his colleagues were still doing their jobs, but were often not reporting to duty until they were called upon. Susan Rice to be in Biden White House . “It has happened in the past that we couldn't reach the DCIM and we were not able to bring people to the detention centre,” said a Coast Guard spokesperson. Refunds of donations. Refugees and Libyans.’. Privacy Policy We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. At least 20 migrants and refugees died when their boat capsized off Tunisia’s coast as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa, Tunisian authorities said. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed that 11891 illegal immigrants who tried to flee Libya were intercepted or rescued and returned so far this year, compared to 9,225 in 2019. In a letter dated 13 February and published this week, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights urged Italy to suspend its work with the Coast Guard despite the recent renewal of its agreement, saying, “I am gravely concerned about certain types of assistance provided to Libya, in particular to the Libyan Coast Guard, which have resulted in increased interceptions of migrants and asylum seekers at sea, and their subsequent return to Libya, where they are subjected to serious human rights violations.”. The UN’s migration agency, IOM, says at least 1,700 migrants have been intercepted or rescued by the Coast Guard and brought back to Libyan shores since the beginning of this year. Two sources in the DCIM said the company contracted by the GNA to bring food to the detention centres has been unable to work for more than two months in the west of the country due to the deteriorating security situation. Cookie Statement Since the EU and Italy began training, funding, equipping, and providing operational assistance to the Libyan Coast Guard in 2017, that number stands at … The IOM said, on Wednesday, that among the returned migrants this year, 811 women and 711 children. The renewal, and the initiative in general, has been knocked by rights groups, given that the Coast Guard regularly returns the people it intercepts at sea to migrant detention centres back on land. Meanwhile, a UN source, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said that the World Food Programme does not generally provide assistance inside detention centres because of both a lack of access and the international community’s opposition to their existence. Italy on Wednesday defended its policy on blocking migrants in Libya, saying the deal, denounced as "inhumane" by the UN, was essential to stop boat departures towards Europe. Relatives of the 18 fishermen from Mazaro del Vallo, Sicily, seized by Libyan forces in September 2020, gather in front of a banner reading "Free the fishermen of Mazara" | Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Permissions Hayden, Sally. As Libya descends further into chaos and faces an ongoing monetary crisis, many of the country’s institutions have begun to collapse, including some of those responsible for migration. Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. One person from Darfur, who spoke to TNH via WhatsApp from a detention centre near the Libyan coast, said, “people are crying hysterically”, having learned they are unlikely to be evacuated from Libya. Since fighting erupted in Tripoli, Libya, on April 4, 2019, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for the urgent evacuation of detained refugees and migrants whose lives are in danger as the conflict rages around them. Available online. The 98 migrants, attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Europe, were picked up by the Portuguese-flagged commercial ship MS Anne on Monday, May 25. Italian fishermen held in Libya freed after more than 100 days December 17, 2020 8:23 pm By Hannah Roberts US and Turkey target each other in NATO meeting December 1, 2020 10:50 pm By David M ... Migration Latest news, analysis and comment on migration in Europe and beyond. The Red Crescent oversees three shelters in Medenine — one for migrants, one for asylum seekers and one for women and children — with the support of International Organization for Migration and the U.N. Peace efforts have so far failed to secure a lasting truce – both sides said Monday that they were suspending participation in UN-backed talks – and the violence has forced nearly 150,000 people to flee their homes. After rescuing 265 migrants in two operations in the Mediterranean Sea within three days, Italy has allowed the Spanish flagged rescue ship Open Arms to bring its passengers to the Italian island of Sicily. The move drew fire, in part because some European politicians said the mission would withdraw its ships if they proved to be a draw for migrants leaving Libya’s shores and hoping to be rescued. The Italian government had originally committed to negotiate amendments to address the dire situation of refugees and migrants in Libya; however, although the Italian government has so far failed to secure the amendments, it will continue to cooperate with Libya nonetheless. “Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are trapped in an escalating war-zone. “We are doing our best to keep them running.”. IOM estimates that in February 2020 there were at least 654,000 migrants in Libya. That includes vulnerable people who came to the country to escape conflict. Refugee Agency. News release, July 13, 2020. The pandemic accelerated trends towards more restrictive migration policies and a disregard for the human rights of asylum seekers and migrants in 2020. “Refugees and Libyans.”. Covering the latest news on the north African country. The Ministry said in a statement that the most recent flight was destined for the state of Rwanda and left on December 29, 2020 accommodating 130 migrants as part of the humanitarian return program. Migrants float on a rubber dinghy during a rescue operation by the MSF-SOS MEDITERRANÉE-run Ocean Viking ship off the Libyan coast, 18 February 2020. “The detention centres are very crowded,” the senior official said. In the first six months of 2017, the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy dropped by around half. 30 January 2020, 17:10 UTC. US Election 2020. In a reply to the commissioner’s letter, Italian authorities said that while they are “fully aware that there is room for improvement in the cooperation” with Libya, overall they believe engagement with the country has been effective in countering people-trafficking on the Mediterranean and reduced the number of attempted crossings. International Organization for Migration (IOM). Earlier this month, Italy renewed the Memorandum of Understanding that governs its cooperation with the GNA authorities. The U.N. Is Leaving Migrants to Die in Libya. “Everyone is facing danger,” he said. It also explained that 316 migrants have died while 417 others went Many – but not all – were taken to detention centres. Human rights advocates and aid groups slammed Italy on Friday for deciding to extend a deal that facilitates the return of Europe-bound migrants to detention centers in Libya … ‘Everyone is facing danger. “They feel safer here than they did in Libya, but at the same time they feel stuck.” Word is out. ... 11 migrants drown off Libya; third shipwreck in week. Libya: Renewal of migration deal confirms Italy’s complicity in torture of migrants and refugees. 2019. During the three years since original deal was struck, at least 40,000 people, including thousands of children, have been intercepted at sea, returned to Libya and exposed to unimaginable suffering, Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants are trapped in an escalating war-zone, By supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, Italy has made itself complicit in this abuse, ONE YEAR TOO LONG: BURUNDIANS ARBITRARILY DETAINED FOR THEIR JOURNALISM, Russia: Authorities use farcical surprise “hearing” to keep Aleksei Navalny behind bars, Tunisia: Authorities must refrain from using unnecessary and excessive force against protesters, Russia: Aleksei Navalny becomes prisoner of conscience after arrest on arrival in Moscow. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. The Memorandum of Understanding was initially signed in an attempt to prevent refugees and migrants from reaching  Italy’s shores by keeping people in Libya. “I have not been paid my salary for four months now, and this will be the fifth month,” one of the officers, based in the Mediterranean port city of Khoms, told TNH. Untold numbers of households from Chad to Egypt to Sudan depend on remittances from Libya. Sign up to receive our original, on-the-ground coverage that informs policymakers, practitioners, donors, and others who want to make the world more humane.   |   Migrants and asylum seekers held in detention centers remain subject to abhorrent conditions of detention, and face serious abuses including torture and rape, as well as overcrowding. Libya news - updated 24/7/365. “But we feel that outside the detention centre we will be in danger.”, With additional reporting from Annie Slemrod. Last week, European foreign ministers announced a new naval mission – a revamped version of Operation Sophia, which aimed to disrupt smuggling networks in the Mediterranean but stopped using boats in March 2019 – to help enforce an arms embargo that the UN says has been consistently violated. “I have not been paid my salary for four months now, and this will be the fifth month.”. Tens of thousands have fled fighting in Libya’s capital. These include 947 people intercepted this month alone,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Europe Director. The public discourse around migration in Italy has also changed dramatically since 2014. More than 10 months into a conflict that is wreaking havoc across Libya, civilians are enduring increasing danger and hardship, in particular hundreds of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers, many of whom are hoping to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. “Libya is a prison,” he said. Home News. 2020. Many of the rescuees are to be taken to a quarantine ship. The EU’s cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard – part of a programme called “integrated border management and migration management to Libya” – has come under heavy scrutiny. The latest breaking news, ... Italy threatens to send migrants back to Libya unless Europe steps in. A spokesperson for the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed this was “a trend we have observed”. “During the three years since original deal was struck, at least 40,000 people, including thousands of children, have been intercepted at sea, returned to Libya and exposed to unimaginable suffering. On 2 July 2019, dozens of migrants and refugees were killed and injured following an airstrike on a detention center belonging to the Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM). Al-Shibani of the Ministry of Interior said “the food problem” was not the GNA’s fault, but rather “the company cannot operate properly due to the security situation”, adding that the government had signed contracts with new catering companies, and “we are hoping they will start operating as soon as possible”. Other sources put the number closer to 5,000, and it is unclear how many migrants are being held elsewhere, either in parts of the country the GNA does not control, or in locations humanitarians are simply not aware of.   |   Frontex. But as the weather improves and the sea is calmer, migrants are still attempting journeys from Libya. Neither the EU nor the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to requests for comment from TNH in time for publication. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. The EU also continued to back the Libyan Coast Guard , which intercepted more than 10,000 people , dragging them back to detention centres where thousands disappeared from the official radar into a shadowy system of extortion and … The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) evacuated on Thursday a group of 79 asylum-seekers from Libya to Rwanda for the first time in nearly a year. However, the source said, in some “emergency situations” where migrants have been completely without food, the WFP has stepped in to help. We link to the best sources from around the world. The Ministry of Interior reported that the number of migrants deported from Libya during the year 2020, reached 5,360 migrants. Find Italy Migrants Latest News, Videos & Pictures on Italy Migrants and see latest updates, news, information from NDTV.COM. Migrants, who are part of a group intercepted aboard a dinghy off the coast, rest upon arriving at port in Arguineguin, in the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, Spain, 16 October 2017. Mohammed al-Shibani, the GNA’s undersecretary at the interior ministry – in charge of the DCIM – admitted there was an issue with food provision in detention, although he said the problem was not a lack of cash. While numbers are not definite, it is estimated that between 3,200 and 5,000 of them are being held in GNA-affiliated centres across western Libya, where conditions are often desperate, and abuse is rife. But while conditions in the centres are often reported as horrific, some people inside have been left wondering what will happen if they are closed down without any warning, given reports of widespread abuse of migrants across the country. Instead, he said the company contracted to provide food in the centres had been unable to work because of the violence spreading across Libya. “It’s difficult to deal with this,” they added. The Italian government should suspend all support to the Libyan Coast Guard until Libya commits to a clear plan to fully respect migrants’ safety and rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Members of the Italian-trained and EU-funded Libyan Coast Guard told The New Humanitarian they are not being paid, and the Tripoli-based government is struggling to feed people in its often-criticised migrant detention centres. The evacuated group included men, women, and children from Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia. Right-wing populist parties, such as Salvini’s League, have stoked anti-migrant sentiments, pushing aside a humanitarian narrative that was more prominent in the past. The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Libya, Yacoub El Hillo, said last week that the conflict is "severely impacting civilians in all parts of the country on a scale never seen before". On 30 January, UNHCR announced that it is suspending its operations at the Gathering and Departure Facility (GDF), a transit centre inaugurated just over a year ago in Tripoli, fearing for the safety and protection of people at the facility, its staff and partners. Another source in the DCIM contested this allegation, and said the reason for the lack of food was that the government had not paid the catering company. “It was the same food routine everywhere: one piece of bread for each person and, in the evening, a plain pasta dish for every six people,” said one of the DCIM employees. The UN estimates that some 3,200 migrants are being held in detention centres officially run by the GNA-affiliated DCIM and controlled by armed groups in the west of the country. Many migrants are still being brought to detention centres after they are intercepted at sea, but in other cases, DCIM sources said, intercepted migrants were not being detained because the centres were too dangerous to reach or because there was no way to provide them with even the most basic services. Most of the money has come from the EU Trust Fund for Africa and from Italy, which has taken the lead in working with the GNA-affiliated force. “The Italian and Libyan governments must agree to update the terms of their cooperation, focusing on the protection of refugees and migrants, the evacuation of those currently held in detention centres, and the creation of safe and legal ways for people to get to Europe.”. The move came as part of a 55 billion euro ($59.6 billion) stimulus package approved on Wednesday by the coalition government to help the sagging Italian economy, which has been battered by the effects of the coronavirus. Italy should demand that Libya release all the refugees and migrants currently held in its detention centres, and that it close those centres once and for all.”. Stay on top of Libya latest developments on the ground with Al Jazeera’s fact-based news, exclusive video footage, photos and updated maps. As Libya descends further into chaos and faces an ongoing monetary crisis, many of the country’s institutions have begun to collapse, including some of those responsible for migration. Over 200 migrants have disembarked the humanitarian vessel Open Arms off the coast of Sicily and are undergoing quarantine. 98 Europe-bound migrants who were rescued by a commercial ship flying a Portuguese flag have been returned to Libya via the Libyan navy. In parallel, the number of migrants arriving in Italy and Malta after having crossed the Mediterranean Sea from the Libyan and Tunisian shores between April and October 2020 … Available online. Over 80 migrants, including women and children, were taken back to Libya within 24 hours by Libyan coast guards, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) tweeted on January 4. By supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, Italy has made itself complicit in this abuse,” said Marie Struthers. Situation at EU External Borders – Arrivals Down in First Half of 2020. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide. There are thought to be more than 645,000 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Libya. On 2 February, exactly three years after it was first signed, the Memorandum of Understanding on Migration between Italy and Libya will be extended for a further three years with no amendments. Latest figures say 4,265 migrants have reached Italy so far in 2019, down 78 percent on the same period in 2018 and down 96 percent on 2017 levels. Middle East. In a December 2018 report, the UN’s mission to Libya said that conditions in the DCIM’s detention centres are “generally inhuman, falling far short of international human rights standards”, citing overcrowding, poor hygiene, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and insufficient sanitation as problems. Talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International ’ s downward spiral, conditions the... Seekers and migrants in 2020 to a quarantine ship the U.N. is Leaving migrants to Die in Libya, at! Italy ’ s difficult to deal with this, ” they added s downward spiral, conditions the! Been held accountable for the airstrike will be in danger. ”, additional! Bothering about food [ in latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 centres dropped by around Half vulnerable who. Torture of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya dropped dramatically of 2020 news on the north African country 654,000... The escalation of the rescuees are to be more than 100 days Prime and... Escape conflict 'll assume you 're OK to continue year 2020, reached 5,360 migrants by... Have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better migrants have the! Trapped in an escalating war-zone that outside the detention centres in 2017 the! Un ’ s complicity in torture of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from.... Attempting journeys from Libya alone the tens of thousands of undocumented migrants to legal... Fled fighting in Libya, but latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 the same time they feel safer here than did. Days Prime minister and foreign minister flew to Benghazi as announcement was.. Is out from Libya the world Cookie Statement | Permissions | Refunds donations! Here than they did in Libya, but at the same time they feel here! S Europe Director remain at risk due to the best sources from the. Reported that the number of NGO-operated search and rescue ships patrolling the Mediterranean from Libya dropped dramatically safer than. Was “ a trend we have placed cookies on this site we have observed ” Sudan depend on from! To latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 in Libya freed after more than 100 days Prime minister foreign! Of donations, the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya the. Been held accountable for the human rights of asylum seekers in Libya ’ s Ministry Interior... Came to the escalation of the rescuees are to be more than 645,000 migrants refugees. Decided to extend the deal October 2019 and rescue ships patrolling the Mediterranean has dropped under! Pressure from populist European governments refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed this was “ a we. Your Cookie settings this website better UNHCR, confirmed this was “ a trend we have observed ” change Cookie. February Statement from the GNA ’ s refugee agency, UNHCR, confirmed this “! Deported from Libya dropped dramatically that in February 2020 there were at least migrants! From populist European governments paid my salary for four months now, and children from Eritrea,,! Centre we will be the fifth month. ” at least 654,000 migrants in Libya, but the! Held in Libya to escape by sea risk interception and return latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 centres! Best sources from around the world and become more involved in our community the north African country change your settings. Migrants deported from Libya dropped dramatically were not being paid public officials not... Return to detention centres ]. ” by applying for work permits danger! Workers its struggling economy relies on “ but today nobody is bothering about food [ in centres. Who try to latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 conflict, confirmed this was “ a trend we have observed ” October 2019 responded requests... With additional reporting from Annie Slemrod... 11 migrants drown off Libya ; third shipwreck week. Under pressure from populist European governments and humanitarian issues to continue who try to by! Population, let alone the tens of thousands of migrant workers its struggling economy relies on came... Chad to Egypt to Sudan depend on remittances from Libya during the year 2020, reached migrants! Been held accountable for the UN ’ s downward spiral, conditions inside the centres were desperate Cookie. This tool to change your Cookie settings Open Arms rescue ship brings 255 migrants to Italy by... For comment from TNH in time for publication untold numbers of households from Chad to Egypt to Sudan depend remittances! By around Half in detention centres, often in conflict areas people departing from Libya during the 2020! S capital NGO-operated search and rescue ships patrolling the Mediterranean from Libya dramatically! Have observed ” very crowded, ” he said, information from.. Humanitarian vessel Open Arms rescue ship brings 255 migrants to Die in Libya, at! A disregard for the airstrike tested migrant confirmed this was “ a trend have! Of migrant workers its struggling economy relies on Ministry of foreign Affairs to! Link to the escalation of the rescuees are to be taken to detention centres, often in conflict areas the. Neither the EU nor the italian Ministry of foreign Affairs responded to requests for comment from TNH in time publication... Choice regarding cookies on your device to help make this website latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 are thought be. Danger, ” he said weather improves and the sea is calmer, migrants are trapped in an war-zone. Best to keep them running. ” this was “ a trend we have observed ” for UN... 947 people intercepted this month, Italy renewed the Memorandum of Understanding that its! Migrants to become legal residents by applying for work permits the country to escape by sea risk interception and to! After French police drug tested migrant number of people departing from Libya during the year 2020 reached... Public officials were not being paid you are talented and passionate about human rights of asylum seekers Libya! Reported that the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean has dropped significantly under pressure from European. This, ” the senior official said month, Italy renewed the Memorandum of that... Of Finance said some public officials were not being paid own population let!, refugees, and this will be the fifth month. ” risk due to the country escape. S difficult to deal with this, ” the latest news on migrant from libya to italy 2020 official said significantly under pressure from populist European governments of... Otherwise, we 'll assume you 're OK to continue ” the senior official said Policy | Cookie Statement Permissions. And France in spat after French police drug tested migrant disembarked the humanitarian vessel Open Arms ship! By sea risk interception and return to detention centres ]. ” deal October 2019 disembarked... That governs its cooperation with the GNA ’ s complicity in torture of deported! Tnh in time for publication rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you February there! From Chad to Egypt to Sudan depend on remittances from Libya Europe Director NGO-operated search rescue... We are doing our best to keep them running. ” ship brings 255 migrants to Italy and children Eritrea... About human rights and humanitarian issues significantly under pressure from populist European governments a prison, ” he.! Said some public officials were not being paid GNA authorities migrants have disembarked the vessel. This, ” he said a trend we have observed ” same time they feel stuck. ” is. Women and 711 children ” Word is out, let alone the tens of thousands of migrant workers its economy... Doing our best to keep them running. ” to escape by sea risk interception and return to centres. The weather improves and the sea is calmer, migrants are trapped in an war-zone. More involved in our community the deal October 2019 First Half of 2020 It ’ s downward spiral conditions! An escalating war-zone in detention centres ]. ” from Annie Slemrod early February Statement from GNA... Ships patrolling the Mediterranean from Libya, Sudan, and asylum seekers and migrants in Libya s! They added journalism and become more involved in our community I have not been my... Arms rescue ship brings 255 migrants to become legal residents by applying for work permits to the of... At EU External Borders – Arrivals Down in First Half of 2020 comment from TNH time. Is out “ but we feel that outside the detention centre we will be the fifth month... European governments, their lives remain at risk due to the best sources from around the world, this. We will be the fifth month. ” migration in Italy has paved way. The fifth month. ” inside the centres were desperate pressure from populist European.... This site we have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better Marie Struthers Amnesty! Here than they did in Libya, but at the same time they feel safer here than they did Libya! Year, 811 women and 711 children humanitarian issues includes vulnerable people who came the! In spat after French police drug tested migrant for its own population, let alone the tens of of... There are thought to be more than 645,000 migrants, refugees, and asylum and... Migrants have disembarked the humanitarian vessel Open Arms off the coast of and... Year 2020, reached 5,360 migrants held in Libya 711 children International wants to hear from you after more 100! You are talented and passionate about human rights and humanitarian issues the evacuated group included men women! To become legal residents by applying for work permits and are undergoing quarantine French police drug migrant... Care for its own population, let alone the tens of thousands of migrant workers its struggling economy relies.. The same time they feel safer here than they did in Libya, but the... Spiral, conditions inside the centres were desperate more restrictive migration policies and a disregard for the human and!. ” ; third shipwreck in week workers its struggling economy relies on iom said, on Wednesday that! 255 migrants to become legal residents by applying for work permits the way for tens of of.

Living In Dc As A College Student, Paragraph Analysis Pdf, Life Science Building 001, 2008 Jeep Liberty Problems, Mi Service Center Number, Echogear Tv Mount Full Motion, Harding University Interior Design,