The first quarter of 2023, the deadliest for migrants in the central Mediterranean since 2017

He Disappeared Migrants Project of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registered 441 migrant deaths in the central Mediterranean between January and March 2023, the deadliest first quarter on record since 2017.

The increasing loss of life on the world’s most dangerous sea voyage comes amid delays in state-led rescue responses and obstacles to NGO search vessel operations in the area.

“The continuing humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean is intolerable,” said the IOM Director General. “With more than 20,000 deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear that these deaths have normalized. States must respond. Delays and obstacles to rescue operations are costing human lives,” adds António Vitorino.

Documented deaths in the first three months of the year are likely an undercount of the true number of lives lost. He Disappeared Migrants Project is also investigating various reports of invisible shipwreckscases in which vessels are considered missing for which there is no record of survivors or material remains.

Intimidation of NGOs and private boats

The delays in state-led bailouts on the central Mediterranean route were a factor in at least six incidents this year that have killed at least 127 people. The total lack of response to a seventh case claimed the lives of at least 73 migrants.

Recently, the NGO-led operation and rescue efforts have diminished notably. On March 25, the Libyan coast guard fired into the air when the NGO rescue ship ocean viking he was responding to a call for a rubber boat in distress.

On the other hand, on Sunday March 26, another ship, the Louise Michel, was detained in Italy after rescuing 180 people at sea, echoing a previous case in which the Geo Barents ship was detained in February and later released.

Not all migrants arrive

Over the Easter weekend, 3,000 migrants arrived in Italy, bringing the total number of arrivals so far this year to 31,192 people.

A boat with some 800 people on board was rescued on Tuesday, April 11, more than 200 kilometers southeast of Sicily by the Italian coast guard with the help of a commercial vessel. Another boat with around 400 migrants was reportedly drifting between Italy and Malta for two days before being overtaken by the same team. Even so, not all migrants from these boats have arrived safely and have landed in Italy.

“Saving lives at sea is a legal obligation of the State,” said Vitorino. “We need to see proactive, country-led coordination in search and rescue efforts. Guided by the spirit of shared responsibility and solidarity, we call on nations to collaborate and work to reduce the loss of life along the routes migratory”.

put an end to improvisation

The worrying situation in the central Mediterranean reinforces the need for effective operations coordinated by the countries, which end to ad hoc response that has characterized them since the end of the Mare Nostrum operation in 2014.

The UN agency explains that state efforts to save lives must include supporting NGOs and providing assistance, and ending criminalization, obstruction and deterrence of the efforts of those who provide it. All maritime vessels, including commercial ones, have the legal obligation to provide relief to vessels in distress.

The Organization also calls for further concerted action to dismantle criminal networks smuggling and prosecute those responsible for profiting off the desperation of migrants and refugees by facilitating dangerous journeys.