The death of 61 people, who drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Libyan shores during the night between 14 and 15 December, is “the direct result of Europe’s migration policies”, said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Although it was clear that people’s lives were in imminent danger, nothing was done to help until it was too late,” says Mielgo. “As soon as we noticed Vos Triton was heading towards Libya, we reached out to them to remind them about the principle of non-refoulment and that disembarking people in Libya would be unlawful,” explains Mielgo. A radical change in Europe is needed now to adopt migration policies that save lives instead of sacrificing them,” says Mielgo. Already this year, close to 2,300 men, women and children2 have died or gone missing while trying to cross the Central Mediterranean to Europe.

Source: Libya Today December 20, 2023 03:50 UTC