(MENAFN- African Press Organization)
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The lives of shipwrecked persons
and a humanitarian crew
from SOS MEDITERRANEE
and IFRC
were
put
in danger on Friday
afternoon, July 7, during a rescue operation at sea.
The
Libyan
coastguard fired shots in close proximity
to
a rescue crew.
This is
the third incident this year,
and
part of
a context of increasing
insecurity
in the Mediterranean
Sea.
The crew onboard humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking, operated
by SOS MEDITERRANEE
and
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), responded to a mayday relay call about a small boat in distress in international waters off the Libyan coast. It was the second operation of the day after a first rescue of 46 persons that also took place in international waters in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region.
Shortly after the evacuation of the eleven shipwrecked persons
by the Ocean Viking's smaller inflatable rescue boats,
a Libyan Coastguard patrol vessel approached the scene at high speed and started to fire multiple shots
at close range.
The gunshots were fired less than 100 meters from the humanitarian rescue crew and the shipwrecked persons
– including a woman and five unaccompanied children – as they were trying to get back to the Ocean Viking.
While all shipwrecked persons and crew members made it to safety onboard the Ocean Viking, all are in shock and some sustained injuries because of
the dangerous manoeuvres of the Coastguard.
Giannis, leader of the inflatable rescue boat closest to the Libyan patrol vessel, describes the imminent danger of the incident: "The impact of the wake created by the Libyan patrol vessel on our boats was so strong that I injured my back. As they continued shooting and chasing us, the safety of the rescued people and crew were in the hands of a gunman."
It is the third time since the beginning of this year that the crew of the Ocean Viking faced a dangerous incident during a rescue operation. IFRC and SOS Mediterranee call upon
all governments to ensure humanitarians can provide
lifesaving
support at sea without risking their lives.
As
humanitarian
organizations, our focus is on saving lives, filling the gap in search and rescue left in the Mediterranean and these situations put people at increasing risk. At the same time, numbers of dead and missing at Europe's southern border continue to mount.
“We are extremely worried about the security situation on
the Mediterranean
Sea.
We have seen devasting numbers of people that perished
at sea
this year, with the horrific shipwreck off the coast of Greece
as a recent example. At the same time, humanitarian organizations trying
to help people in distress at sea
fear for their safety. This
dangerous situation can lead to the loss of more lives, even though all these deaths
of
people
at sea are preventable,”
says
Maria
Alcazar Castilla, Deputy
Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia
at IFRC.
2023 has been a particularly deadly year so far: 1,728 people have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean in search of safety and peace in Europe since January. It is the highest death toll since 2017 and almost certainly
an undercount.
To prevent more deaths, it is crucial that humanitarians
can operate
safely to assist
people in distress at sea.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
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