MIGRANTS AT SEA

Report of Migrant Boat Sinking Off Libyan Coast – 15 Dead, 40 Missing

Niels Frenzen — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:37:59 +0000

According to AFP , the Somali envoy in Tripoli has reported that a migrant boat carrying approximately 50 migrants sank off the coast of Misrata on Wednesday last week. The boat was reportedly carrying about 55 migrants from Somalia. 15 bodies have been recovered.

Click here (EN) and here (IT) for articles.

Tagged: Abdelghami Wais, Deaths at sea, Italy, Libya, Migrants, Misurata, Refugees

Pillay: Extreme Concern Regarding Ill-Treatment of Detainees in Libya, Including Large Number of Sub-Saharan Africans

Niels Frenzen — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:39:01 +0000

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay addressed the UN Security Council on 25 January regarding the situation in Libya. Pillay expressed extreme concern regarding the conditions of detention in Libya faced by thousands of detainees, including a large number of Sub-Saharan African nationals, and called for all detention centres to be brought under the control of the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor’s Office.

Amnesty International and MSF have both just released additional reports documenting ongoing torture of detainees in Libya.

Excerpts from Pillay’s statement:

“The Interim Government still does not exercise effective control over the revolutionary brigades and this has human rights repercussions in a number of areas. …

A related area that I am extremely concerned about is the conditions of detention and treatment of detainees held by various revolutionary brigades. The ICRC visited over 8,500 detainees in approximately 60 places of detention between March and December 2011. The majority of detainees are accused of being Gaddafi loyalists and include a large number of sub-Saharan African nationals. The lack of oversight by the central authorities creates an environment conducive to torture and ill-treatment. My staff have received alarming reports that this is happening in places of detention that they have visited.

It is therefore urgent that all detention centres are brought under the control of the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor’s Office. Moreover, a structure and process for judicial screening of detainees should be put in place immediately so that those detainees held without any legal basis can be released while others receive a fair trial. … However, detainees continue to be held in unacceptable circumstances outside any legal framework or the protection of the state….”

Click here for Pillay’s Statement.

Click here for AI Statement.

Click here for MSF Statement.

Tagged: Amnesty International, Libya, Libyan National Transitional Council, Migrants, MSF, Navi Pillay, Refugees, Sub-Saharan Africans, Torture

UNHCR: Record Number of Refugees and Migrants Cross to Yemen in 2011

Niels Frenzen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:03:07 +0000

The UNHCR reports that there has been an almost 100% increase in the number of refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants who crossed the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea from Africa to Yemen in 2011 compared to 2010. 103,000 migrants are estimated to have made the sea crossing in 2011 compared to an estimated 53,000 in 2010. 130 persons are known to have drowned. Ethiopians now make up the largest nationality making the voyage, accounting for about 75% of the total. Prior to 2009 Somalis were the largest group.

Click here (EN), here (EN) and here (FR) for UNHCR statements.

Tagged: Deaths at sea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf of Aden, Migrants, Mixed Migration, Red Sea, Refugees, Somalia, UNHCR, Yemen

Rescued Somali Asylum Seekers in Malta Describe Dangerous Conditions in Libya

Niels Frenzen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:17:34 +0000

The first group of rescued migrants for 2012 arrived in Malta on 15 January after being rescued by an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat and an Italian cargo ship. The 68 rescued migrants are Somali asylum seekers and had left Libya four days earlier. Another boat carrying 72 migrants was rescued by the Italian coastguard on the 13^th. This boat is also believed to have departed from Libya. UNHCR officials have interviewed the asylum seekers in Malta: “The new arrivals confirmed to UNHCR that the situation in Libya is still not stable and that it is particularly precarious for Sub-Saharan nationals. One Somali woman told UNHCR that they were afraid to go outside the house. Some even described the situation in parts of Libya as being similar to the lawlessness of Somalia. They explained that smugglers provided them with the only possible way out at this point.” The Times of Malta reported that two of the asylum seekers said “they paid armed Libyan militiamen $400 each to facilitate their crossing of the Mediterranean.”

Click here, here, and here for articles.

Click here (IT) for article.

Tagged: Armed Forces of Malta, Italy, Lampedusa, Libya, Malta, Migrants, Refugees, Rescue at Sea, Sub-Saharan refugees, UNHCR

Statewatch Analysis: The Arab Spring and the death toll in the Mediterranean: the true face of Fortress Europe

Niels Frenzen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:54:06 +0000

Statewatch released an Analysis by Marie Martin entitled “The Arab Spring and the death toll in the Mediterranean: the true face of Fortress Europe.”

Excerpt: “Throughout the uprisings in North Africa, the EU has maintained a discourse of double standards: supporting calls for freedom and democracy but greeting resulting population displacement with hostility. This has contributed to a record number of people dying at Europe’s borders during the first seven months of 2011. It is all about numbers when it comes to migration; about how large a flow came in, how many people asked for protection and how many applicants were “failed” or “rejected.” Numbers quantify the “threat” (e.g. the “invasion” of irregular migrants) and serve as a bargaining tool with third countries (allowing the acceptance of the externalisation of border controls in exchange for facilitating the mobility of a specific number of nationals). Numbers demonstrate whether the target of “x” thousands of annual deportations of irregular migrants is met. Numbers released by public authorities are meant to justify the need for migration policies and to show how efficiently they are implemented. Yet hidden numbers question the legitimacy of these policies – the death toll of people dying at Europe’s borders is such an example. For several years, Gabriele del Grande has monitored the situation at the EU’s external borders and kept a record of the number of deaths occurring in the context of irregular bordercrossings [2] on the Fortress Europe website. According to the website’s latest update, the EU’s borders have never been so “murderous” [3]: there were 1,931 deaths during the first seven months of 2011. [4] In 2008, a petition was brought before the European Parliament by the ProAsyl organisation, denouncing the deathtrap at the EU’s borders” [5]: it was a particularly “murderous” year, with 1,500 deaths. It is terrifying to realise that this toll was exceeded in the first seven months of 2011. …”

Click here for Analysis.

Tagged: Algeria, Arab Spring, Deaths at sea, Egypt, European Union, Extraterritorial Immigration Control, Fortress Europe, France, Frontex, Italy, Joint Operation Hermes, Libya, Malta, Marie Martin, Migrants, Mixed Migration, Morocco, NATO, North Africa, Operation Unified Protector, Refugees, Resettlement, Spain, Statewatch, Tunisia, United Kingdom