Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
With the beginning of the summer season and the decrease in the risk of bad weather conditions in the Mediterranean, rubber boats that carry hundreds of migrants on a weekly and sometimes daily basis are facing them to transport people who dream of reaching the paradise of Europe, as they believe, and to escape the economic and social crises in their countries, the most important of which are in the continent of Africa.
The authorities of a number of coastal countries in Europe announced the arrival of boats for migrants who were rescued in the waters near those countries.
Today, Monday, Italian security sources announced that 60 migrants had been rescued in the central Mediterranean region by the civil fleet, according to the Italian AKI agency.
The agency indicated that after a report from the (Alarm Phone) project of the non-governmental organization (Watch The Med), the crew of the sailing ship (Nader), affiliated with the German non-governmental organization (Rescueship), rescued a boat with 60 people on board,” noting that “ After the boat was stabilized, 22 people on board were evacuated, including a child and his mother.”
An Italian security report revealed that 157,651 migrants arrived in Italy during the past year through the many immigration routes passing through the Mediterranean Sea, through 3,592 disembarkations, an increase of 49.96% over the year 2022.
The report, which comes on the occasion of the 172nd anniversary of the founding of the Italian police forces, according to what was reported by the Italian news agency, AKI, stated that the pressure of irregular migration by sea, which had decreased continuously from 2017 to 2019, reversed its trend in the period between 2021 and 2023, recording a significant increase. Pointing out that the recent period recorded an increase of 49.96% compared to the previous year, which recorded 105,131 migrants through 2,539 landing operations in 2022.
The report explained that the maximum peak in the number of arrivals in 2023 was recorded in August with the arrival of 25,673 migrants (an average of 828.16 migrants per day).
The Greek authorities also announced the arrival of 283 migrants on board a fishing boat to the coast of Gavdos Island in the south of the country, following the launch of a rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea.
The American ABC network reported on Monday that two Coast Guard boats and four commercial boats participated in a search for the boat after information was received that it was exposed to strong winds south of Gavdos Island, adding that rescue boats accompanied the migrant boat until it anchored on the coast of Gavdos. The island, while the immigrants were later transferred to the island of Crete.
The Greek authorities did not announce the nationalities of the migrants or the destination from which the boat departed.
It is noteworthy that the Greek island of Gavdos has turned in recent months into a major destination for migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe.