THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
The castaways of hell photo: © Anthony Jean / SOS MEDITERRANEE
The death rate is increasing
by François Thomas, President of SOS MEDITERRANEE France, Marseille
François Thomas has been the president of SOS MEDITERRANEE France since June
O
n 1st May 2015, the cover page of The Economist displayed a photo of an overcrowded rubber boat with the comment: “Europe’s boat people – A moral and political disgrace”. Where do we stand today? Since 2014 and the end of operation Mare Nostrum led by the Italian navy, more than 20,000 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea.1 In the face of such a tragedy in this sea, where European history has been built over millennia, we could expect a strong reaction from European countries. Various operations have been implemented: Triton, EUNAVFOR MED Sophia then IRINI from March 2020. Unfortunately, the mission is not to save peoples’ lives as a priority, as it should be according to the Law of the Sea; but rather to protect European borders and fight against illegal trafficking. SOS MEDITERRANEE was created in March 2015 by European citizens as a response to the tragic situation in the Central Mediterranean Sea and of the failure of European states to take proper measures. They ignored their duty to render assistance to all persons found at sea in danger of being lost, which is a legal obligation for states or any ship close to the distress zone. At the same time, while EU Member States have step by step removed their naval assets from the Central Mediterranean, which is the deadliest migration route worldwide, they have strengthened Frontex and financed Libyan coast guards. Besides this, criminalisation of NGO vessels is becoming a trend for several European states.
The sad truth on the Libya deal Libyan authorities are intercepting and sending back to Libya thousands of people who are then jailed in detention centres where they face severe abuse and human rights violations: torture, rape, extortion, ransom, and all kind of acts of violence. To be freed, they must pay human traffickers time and time
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2019. He holds a master’s degree in international transport and is a certified captain and chief engineer photo: © Yannick Taranco
in the French Merchant Navy. Acting as marine consultant, he has
spent over 40 years in the maritime sector, holding various positions of responsibility at sea and ashore.
again, who let them embark on flimsy boats until they are intercepted again at sea and returned to the hell they just escaped from. By subsidising Libyan coast guards to intercept migrants’ boats, the European Union is thus participating in this tragic vicious circle. Instead of fighting efficiently against human smuggling, this policy contributes to fuel it. This is the sad reality in Libya. This country cannot be considered as a port of safety for migrants and refugees, nor can it effectively manage migration challenges on and off its shores. European states are aware of the situation which has been properly documented and witnessed for years already. After CNN released a report on Libya’s slave market released in November 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the “crimes against humanity” committed against migrants in that country.
The situation in the Central Mediterranean As summer is starting, SOS MEDITERRANEE ascertains that there is currently an alarming absence of effective coordination in the Libyan Search and Rescue (SAR) zone, and a concerning lack of assets to answer to humanitarian needs in the Central Mediterranean. Libyan authorities have officially been given the responsibility to coordinate SAR activities off Libyan shores since June 2018. However, Libya is currently a failed state that
