Salvini sends back ship loaded with migrants. Malta does not want them, open crisis

Salvini sent an urgent letter to the Maltese authorities asking that the Aquarius ship with 629 migrants on board disembark in Valletta, as the closest port, but the Maltese authorities reiterate that it is not their responsibility. “The rescue took place in the Libyan search and rescue area and was coordinated by the coordination center in Rome. Malta is neither the coordinating authority, nor does it have jurisdiction over this case, ”said a spokesperson for the Maltese government, according to Malta Today. Today Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, hoping for good relations with Rome, reiterated that Malta observes and will continue to observe international rules: “We did it this week and we will continue to do so - he explained - And we have proved it with documented facts. It is important that everyone abides by the rules, this applies to us, to other governments and to other organizations ”. On board the Aquarius ship, which currently has no port of call, there are 629 people, among them 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and 7 pregnant women ", according to the report by Doctors Without Borders, whose ship Aquarius - explains the NGO - was involved in six different rescue operations of six boats loaded with migrants off the coast of Libya, in SARS waters. In particular, the rescue of two rubber boats was critical: "One of the two was destroyed in the dark, leaving over 40 people in the water". 229 people were rescued from these two boats, then the Aquarius also welcomed 400 people on board, previously rescued by the Italian Navy, the Italian Coast Guard and merchant ships. Different nationalities of the rescued migrants: many from Sudan and South Sudan, Sub-Saharan Africa, but also from Nigeria, Eritrea, Congo, Cameroon, Chad, Pakistan.

Salvini sends back ship loaded with migrants. Malta does not want them, open crisis

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