Italy Rescues 1,400 Migrants In The Southern Mediterranean: Thousands More Expected


Italy rescues migrants from small boats and rubber dinghies once again, in a joint operation between the Italian Coast Guard and Navy, over a two-day operation on Sunday and Monday. This comes on the heels of the UN refugee agency announcing last week that some 14,500 migrants have already arrived in Italy by crossing the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year. This figure is a 42.5 percent increase over last year. Italy is poised to see thousands more in the coming months.

Over the two-day period, the coast guard rescued about 780, the navy 570. Many of those rescued were women and children, according to news sources.

While the nationalities of the migrants have not been released, it is believed that most are North Africans fleeing strife-torn Libya and other countries on the continent. Libya is a favorite departure spot, because it is only 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the southern tip of Italy.

For Africans seeking a better life in Europe, crossing the Mediterranean to Italy has long been a popular route. Now, however, with such increasing numbers, there will be more pressure on Italy and other European nations to handle this crisis and to provide for these migrants.

Just on Tuesday, a previous group of 730 migrants, who had been pulled out of the sea and transferred to a larger ship, arrived in the port of Pozzallo in Sicily. Relief efforts are underway to provide food and shelter for this group, as the additional 1,480 will now need that same help.

Why the Increase

One reason for the sudden increase in migrant crossings is, of course, the warmer weather. As that part of the world moves into spring and summer months, crossing the Mediterranean is an easier challenge than in the colder winter months.

Another reason may be much more complex. Recent moves by Turkey and Greece to curb the flow of Syrian refugees into Turkey and then on to Greece and Europe may have a big impact. This has been the result of an agreement between the EU and Turkey to close off access to refugees. Last week, only 1,000 Syrian refugees crossed into Greece, compared with the nearly 2,000 a day at the peak of refugee migration.

Syria sits on the southern border of Turkey and has been the best land path for Syrian refugees to get into Europe. If that route is curtailed, the next best path is to cross over into Northern Africa, either by boat or land, to get to Libya and then to cross the short distance across the Mediterranean into Italy.

The chaos in Libya itself, now a hotbed of ISIS activity, motivates thousands of Libyans to cross as well. Many of these migrants will actually be re-named as refugees, and an increase in such refugees from countries in the Middle East will mean an increase in rescue operations by Italy and yet another crisis of care for these people.

In short, Italy can expect thousands more to arrive in the coming months.

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The Numbers

To date, more than 1.2 migrants and refugees have flowed into European Union countries from the Middle East and Africa.

Because of the agreement between the EU and Turkey, the land path into Greece has been closed, and some 12,000 refugees remain camped out on the Greek-Macedonian border, demanding that the border be re-opened. Macedonia has stated it will not re-open the border until at least the end of 2016. Whether these 12,000 will decide to move to shelters built by the Greek army or begin a trek into Northern Africa remains to be seen.

Whatever routes migrants and refugees determine to take to get into Europe, Italy will need to be prepared for many more rescues in the coming months.

[Photo by Marina Militare, Italian Navy/AP Images]

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