NGOs continue their on-going battle with Maltese authorities to allow the Aita Mari ship with 43 migrants on board to dock in Malta.
On Monday morning, Alarm Phone revealed that the Aita Mari rescue ship was headed to the boat in distress which they report had 47 people on board – now confirmed to actually be 43 people.
Aita Mari is operated by the Spanish NGO Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH).
Once the dinghy was found, SMH reported that it found 6 people who were unconscious and one pregnant woman on board. Unfortunately, they were not equipped with the required medical aid so they tried to get in contact with Maltese authorities but to no avail.
This morning, SMH posted on their Twitter page showing that they have taken the migrants on board of their ship and taking care of them as best they can.
“Malta denies us safe harbour or coordinate a POS (Port of Safety). We demand safe harbour,” the post read, accompanied with a video showing the rough Mediterranean sea.
NGO Alarm Phone followed up this post saying that the 43 people have suffered enough. “Maltese Armed Forces, you have failed in your duty to rescues, you are now also failing in your duty to coordinate a Port of Safety!”
On Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo said that over the past years, Malta saved thousands of people and went over and above its legal obligations, adding that Malta cannot afford diverting resources being used to contain the pandemic.
He said; "The EU must launch a humanitarian mission in Libya with immediate effect to provide shelter, food and medicine to the migrants there. It should provide them an incentive to remain in Libya, rather than risk their lives at sea, where rescue assets are scarce."
This was met with criticism from a number of NGOs and academics who called on the European government to open ports and save migrants, saying that “the decision to close ports is unlawful. The absence of solidarity between the Member States in meeting their collective moral and legal obligations is reprehensible.”