Fears rise of migrant surge from Libya after 600 rescued
MILAN — Some 600 migrants rescued at sea arrived Friday in Sicily — one of the biggest influxes since Italy struck a deal with Libyan authorities to limit migrant smuggling — raising concerns of a renewed surge on the Libyan human trafficking route.
The migrants, including many unaccompanied minors from sub-Saharan Africa, were rescued in seven operations over 36 hours and transported Friday to Palermo by the German non-governmental organization SOS Mediterranee.
The rescues came as three weeks of fighting around the Libyan city of Sabratha have destabilized militias that pledged to help reduce the flow of migrant smuggling across the Mediterranean Sea, leaving many migrants and refugees displaced.
SOS Mediterranee President Valeria Calandra told Sky TG24 that the renewed instability in Libya has only increased the desire of migrants to escape the lawless North African country.
“It was very improbable that from today to tomorrow you can stop everyone,” she said. “I think this rescue is the first of many others that will arrive.”
The number of migrants dropped in July and August, before an uptick from 3,914 in August to 6,288 in September. Still, September arrivals were two-thirds below last year’s total for the same month, and the 2,800 arrivals this month are well below the 12,400 in the same period last year.
Federico Fossi, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency in Rome, says it’s too early to say what is driving the recent uptick and if it will be sustained. He noted that even the deal with Libyan forces to stanch the flow of migrants never fully stopped the smugglers’ boats.
“In the last few days, there has been a light increase. We need to see over the medium-term if there is a new trend,” he said.