Civil society groups say selective disembarkation illegal, warns of desperate conditions.

A GERMAN-FLAGGED charity ship disembarked all 89 migrants it had rescued from the Mediterranean in a southern Italian port today, two days after Rome blocked other landings in Sicily.

“The ship Rise Above, operated by Mission Lifeline, docked in Reggio Calabria in the early hours of the morning. We were able to disembark all 89 survivors,” the charity said.

It said it was a relief after days of waiting but the delay in being assigned a port had taken its toll.

There were originally 95 people onboard but six were taken off as medical emergencies. The remainder were suffering from seasickness and exhaustion, it said.

Italy’s new government, led by far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, has vowed to stop the tens of thousands of migrants who land on its shores every year.

Over the weekend, some 500 migrants rescued by two charity ships were allowed to disembark in the Sicilian port of Catania but around 250 others were refused.

Civil society groups said selecting who could disembark was illegal and warned of desperate conditions onboard the ships, which remain in port.

A fourth charity rescue ship remains off the coast of Sicily, waiting for permission to disembark. 

Some 234 migrants are on board the Ocean Viking, run by European charity SOS Mediterranee under a Norwegian flag.

Ships chartered by non-government organisations regularly pick up migrants from overcrowded boats seeking to cross from North Africa to Europe.

However, their passengers accounted for only 14 percent of the more than 87,000 people who have landed in Italy so far this year, according to the interior ministry.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said yesterday “We are behaving with humanity but firmly based on our principles.”

Piantedosi said he was working at a national and European Union level to resolve the issue, after years of complaints from Rome that the EU was not doing enough. – AFP, November 8, 2022.