“With Italy firmly blocking its seaports, the tiny island country of Malta has emerged as an unlikely and reluctant lifeline for migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.”

This is the introduction to an article written by Claire Parker on The Washington Post, published earlier this week.

The article goes on to explain the developing situation in the heart of the Mediterranean, where hundreds of migrants are risking their lives in a bid to cross over from north Africa to Europe, and the ensuing political disputes on who should take responsibility.

Italy often conducted sea rescues but since Matteo Salvini’s term as Italy Interior Minister began, “there’s been a real shift,” said Gerald Knaus, the founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative.

“When he closed the ports, he dramatically increased the pressure on Malta,” Knaus said. “But everybody in Europe knows that Malta cannot be the place where you can disembark people to stay in large numbers.”

Read the full article here