As IOM reiterates call for EU states to respect international refugee laws, three people die while Malta delays rescue MORE people have died on maritime migration routes into Europe in the first six months of this year than in the same period of 2020, according to research by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). AtContinue reading “Over 1,100 people have died on sea routes to Europe so far this year, double the numbers of this time last year”
Tag Archives: Moonbird
Malta ignores activists’ distress calls for 270 refugees stranded in its SAR zone
Two passing merchant ships fail to help the castaways and abandon them to face the night alone THE LIVES of about 270 refugees adrift in waters near Malta are at serious risk, activists have warned, as the island nation’s coastguard repeatedly ignores their calls and passing merchant vessels seemingly refuse to help. Since the morningContinue reading “Malta ignores activists’ distress calls for 270 refugees stranded in its SAR zone”
Witnessing a dereliction of duty
Eyewitnesses tell The Civil Fleet how passing ships and the Maltese authorities tried to abandon stranded refugees LAST SATURDAY morning, a rubber boat sailing away from war-torn Libya carrying 109 people contacted the distress hotline operated by the activist network Alarm Phone. “The weather is rapidly deteriorating,” Alarm Phone tweeted soon after the call. “TheContinue reading “Witnessing a dereliction of duty”
Over 1,000 refugees attempt to escape Libya by sea in 24 hours
Meanwhile the Ocean Viking carries over 230 rescued refugees and the Astral saves the lives of 45 others in Malta’s SAR zone OVER 1,000 refugees attempted to flee Libya across the central Mediterranean between Thursday and this morning and still more rickety boats are leaving as the weather improves. Most of the escapees, around 800,Continue reading “Over 1,000 refugees attempt to escape Libya by sea in 24 hours”
48 people sent back to Libya a day after a tragic refugee shipwreck
Sea Watch’s Moonbird witnessed the pullback and spotted a Frontex plane on the scene, though the agency’s role in the events is unknown FORTY-EIGHT people attempting to flee Libya were intercepted by the country’s EU-supported coastguards this morning, a day after 43 others died in the first reported refugee shipwreck this year. The refugees leftContinue reading “48 people sent back to Libya a day after a tragic refugee shipwreck”
Activists and relatives call for rescue of survivors adrift in the Mediterranean for nine days
THE LIVES of six people onboard a boat adrift in the Mediterranean for nine days are at serious risk, activists warned today. The relatives of the people on the boat first contacted Alarm Phone, an activist network which operates a hotline for refugees in distress at sea, about the case last Tuesday. Alarm Phone alertedContinue reading “Activists and relatives call for rescue of survivors adrift in the Mediterranean for nine days”
Another desperate weekend at Europe’s borders for refugees and the activists trying to save them
Hundreds returned to war-torn Libya by EU-supported coastguard while the Alan Kurdi rescue ship is detained in Italy for the second time this year IT WAS another fraught weekend for refugees attempting to reach Europe by sea and for the activists trying to help them. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed on Sunday that theContinue reading “Another desperate weekend at Europe’s borders for refugees and the activists trying to save them”
76 refugees jump off the Open Arms in a desperate bid to swim to Italy
NGOs blast European governments for keeping the rescued in limbo for nine days MORE than 70 refugees jumped overboard from an NGO rescue ship today in a desperate bid to swim to Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily. Seventy-six of the 275 refugees on board the Open Arms threw themselves into the water inContinue reading “76 refugees jump off the Open Arms in a desperate bid to swim to Italy”
Forty-day nightmare finally over as the Mare Jonio brings the Etienne 27 to land
Mediterranea slams Europe for ‘shamelessly looking away, and disregarding international law and human rights’ THE nightmare journey for 27 refugees blockaded from Europe for 40 days and left in limbo on a merchant vessel finally came to an end this weekend. Twenty-six men and a pregnant woman fled Libya in a wooden boat on AugustContinue reading “Forty-day nightmare finally over as the Mare Jonio brings the Etienne 27 to land”
Italy grounds the NGO recognisance plane Moonbird
This latest attack on civilian rescuers comes days after leaked emails show German transport ministry designed laws to stop NGO ships REFUGEE rescuers condemned the Italian government today for preventing an NGO recognisance plane from carrying out its monitoring missions in the central Mediterranean. German refugee rescue organisation Sea Watch announced in a video releasedContinue reading “Italy grounds the NGO recognisance plane Moonbird”
The Civil Fleet 