13 images Created 8 Jul 2022
Aboard the Sea-Watch 3: Chronicle of a rescue at the gates of Europe
In the 28 hours between 17 and 18 October 2021, the humanitarian ship Sea-Watch 3 rescued 412 migrants from seven different boats in distress in the central Mediterranean, just a few miles off the Libyan coast. Many of them were women, children, and teenagers fleeing the tortures of Libyan detention centers. During one of the rescues, the dinghy started losing air and suddenly deflated, causing dozens of people to fall into the water. The crew of Sea-Watch 3 managed to get everyone to safety before the Libyan coast guard arrived on the scene.
This is fortuitous, as 2021 has been the deadliest year in the central Mediterranean since 2018. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 23,368 people have been reported missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014. Frontex, the European Union's coastguard and border guard agency, recorded 6,240 illegal entries from the central Mediterranean in the first 10 months of 2021, 186% more than in 2019.
Recently, Frontex's role in managing migration flows has been heavily criticized. International investigative inquiries (Der Spiegel, Bellingcat) suggest that Frontex violates international maritime laws and actively participates in migrant pushbacks in cooperation with the Libyan coastguard. In 2021, EU funding to Frontex increased by 49% compared to 2020. NGOs working in the Mediterranean, including Sea-Watch, are calling for these funds to be diverted to an EU-coordinated rescue program in the Mediterranean. At stake are the lives of thousands of people who keep trying their chance at sea, risking their lives at the gates of Europe.
Different versions of this story have been published in El País and Ereb:
https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2022-02-21/atrapados-entre-el-frontex-y-la-guardia-costera-libia-los-migrantes-luchan-por-sobrevivir-a-las-puertas-de-europa.html
https://ereb.eu/story/on-board-sea-watch-3-scenes-from-a-rescue-operation/
This is fortuitous, as 2021 has been the deadliest year in the central Mediterranean since 2018. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 23,368 people have been reported missing while trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014. Frontex, the European Union's coastguard and border guard agency, recorded 6,240 illegal entries from the central Mediterranean in the first 10 months of 2021, 186% more than in 2019.
Recently, Frontex's role in managing migration flows has been heavily criticized. International investigative inquiries (Der Spiegel, Bellingcat) suggest that Frontex violates international maritime laws and actively participates in migrant pushbacks in cooperation with the Libyan coastguard. In 2021, EU funding to Frontex increased by 49% compared to 2020. NGOs working in the Mediterranean, including Sea-Watch, are calling for these funds to be diverted to an EU-coordinated rescue program in the Mediterranean. At stake are the lives of thousands of people who keep trying their chance at sea, risking their lives at the gates of Europe.
Different versions of this story have been published in El País and Ereb:
https://elpais.com/planeta-futuro/2022-02-21/atrapados-entre-el-frontex-y-la-guardia-costera-libia-los-migrantes-luchan-por-sobrevivir-a-las-puertas-de-europa.html
https://ereb.eu/story/on-board-sea-watch-3-scenes-from-a-rescue-operation/
