Fleeing the Libyan Clutches
Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities wait for assistance aboard an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, at 122 miles off the Libyan coast, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.
The February storm is unforgiving, violently shaking the humanitarian rescuers’ vessel as they try to revive a faulty engine and save African migrants drifting in the Mediterranean Sea after fleeing Libya on unseaworthy boats.
Not only must they brave 70 kph (43 mph) winds and 4-meter (13-foot) waves, but also win the race against the Libyan coast guard, which has been trained and equipped by Europe to keep migrants away from its shores.
In recent days, the Libyans had already thwarted eight rescue attempts by the Open Arms, a Spanish NGO vessel, harassing and threatening its crew in the international waters of the central Mediterranean where 160 people have died so far this year.
The latest tragedy took place on Feb. 20, when a rubber boat carrying 120 people started taking in water and waited for hours until a commercial ship in the area arrived to help. Forty-one people drowned, including three children and four women, said the U.N.'s migration agency, the International Organization for Migration.
Those who are saved at sea are not necessarily safe. According to IOM, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 22 nearly 3,600 people, including dozens of women and children, have been intercepted and forcibly returned to Libya
.There, they are placed in squalid detention centers and are subject to abuse, torture, extortion and rape.
AP PHOTOS: Migrants evade Libyan coast guard to reach Europe
ABOARD THE OPEN ARMS (AP) — The February storm is unforgiving, violently shaking the humanitarian rescuers’ vessel as they try to revive a faulty engine and save African migrants drifting in the Mediterranean Sea after fleeing Libya on unseaworthy...
Apnews.com
Sandrine, 33 years old, Cameroon, holds her 3 month old baby Moise as migrants and refugees from different African nationalities wait for assistance on an overcrowded rubber boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, at 122 miles off the Libyan coast, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021.
49-year-old 'Erri' from Bilbao, Chief Mate of the Spanish NGO Open Arms during a watch a few hours before dawn analyses the latest data on the ship's position and direction, Saturday Feb.6,2021
Rescuers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms, Alberto Agrelo and Alejandro Samper embrace in a gesture of encouragement as they go to a possible target, Saturday,Feb.6,2021
Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities wait for assistance aboard an overcrowded rubber boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, at 80 miles off the Libyan coast, Saturday Feb. 13, 2021.
Migrants and refugees are seen barefoot in a rubber boat. Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities wait for assistance aboard an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, at 80 miles off the Libyan coast, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021.
Rescuer Alberto Agrelo distributes the waistcoats to all the migrants, in the centre of the picture, Bamba Bourahima, 14 years old from Ivory Coast Migrants and refugees from different African nationalities wait for assistance aboard an overcrowded rubber boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, international waters, at 80 miles off the Libyan coast, Saturday Feb. 13, 2021.
Mediterranean — Fleeing the Libyan Clutches
25-year-old Santa, originally from the Ivory Coast, can be seen clutching her 5-year-old daughter Timi's arm to prevent her from falling into the water, after being rescued from an overcrowded rubber boat Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021,
5 year old Timi sleeps between the blankets at her mother's feet, basking in the warmth of the sun's rays after been rescue by the Spanish NGO Open Arms Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021
Sita Yakita, 16 years old, Guinea Conakry stays in the infirmary while Juanfe, the doctor on board the Spanish NGO Open Arms performs an ultrasound scan to see her unborn child,Sunday Feb.14, 2021
Migrants and refugees from from different African nationalities wearing blankets due to the cold awaits in the deck of the Spanish NGO Open Arms boat to disembark, Monday, Feb.15, 2021
Statue of the Virgin of Carmen ,also called Star of the Sea, patron saint of sailors, with a small switch on light at her feet is seen at the bridge of the Spanish NGO Open Arms boat, Tuesday, Feb.9
25 years old Santa from the Ivory Coast and her 5 year old daughter Timi, wearing a thermal cap on her head, undergo an antigen test to ensure that they are not carriers of the COVID-19 virus. Tuesday, Feb.16 2021
Sandrine,33 years old, Cameroon, holds her three-month-old son Moise moments before leaving the Spanish NGO Open Arms boat, in the Sicilian port of Empedocles, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021
A migrant steps on the ground barefoot in the Italian port of Empedocles after being rescued by the Spanish NGO Open Arms in the Central Mediterranean Sea, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021