Ap

La Jornada Newspaper
Saturday, November 30, 2024, p. 19

Milan. Off the coast of Libya, a group of armed men kidnapped women and children who were traveling on an inflatable boat in which more than 100 migrants were trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. When the ship began to deflate, the commando mobilized in high-speed boats and kidnapped 29 people, reported Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Out of desperation, the crew members threw themselves into the water after hearing shots fired into the air by the attackers. An MSF ship that arrived at the scene in international demarcations rescued 83 people who were floating adrift, including minors traveling alone.

A passenger jumped into the water and tried to reach his wife and two children, aged 10 years and four months, respectively. A psychologist from the rescue group pointed out that the crew members experienced the horror of being separated from their wives and daughters, who were kidnapped.

So far it is unknown who the armed individuals were and what happened to the women and children, while the humanitarian organization reported that, according to witnesses, the assailants claimed to be from the Libyan Coast Guard.

Deaths on the rise

On the other hand, more than 62 thousand migrants arrived in Italy this year, according to official statistics. This figure represents a decrease compared to the more than 152 thousand that arrived in the same period during 2023.

The United Nations reported that 2,124 people have died this year attempting to make the dangerous crossing through the center of the Mediterranean.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern about the increase in deaths of foreigners without documents on dangerous routes, such as those followed by those who try to reach Greece in small boats from Turkey. The statements were issued after two deadly shipwrecks this week in the Aegean Sea, near the Turkish coast, in which a mother lost three of her children, and another survivor lost his wife and daughter.

The UNHCR reported that 17 people died at said crossing this month, while the total in 2024 is at least 45. At least 56 thousand people have entered the Hellenic republic irregularly since the beginning of the year, the highest figure since 2019.

The UNHCR representative in Greek territory, Maria Clara Martin, stressed that these deaths highlight the urgent need to provide long-term responses, as well as safe and credible alternatives for those fleeing conflicts, persecution, violence or violations of their human rights.