Remembrance
This remembrance picture affixed to a wall
in Valletta remembers one of the many
people who have attempted the treacherous
Mediterranean crossing, in a bid to escape from
persecution, slavery and destitution brought
on by war and civil strife in Africa.
This week at least 120 people, including 28
children, were returned to Libya by a coast
guard, with the International Organisations
for Migration repeating that Libya is not a safe
country for return.
"We reiterate that Libya is not a port of safety,"
the IOM said.
In recent years, the European Union and EU
countries have supported Libya's coast guard
to try to stop migrant crossings. But the IOM
and rights organizations say migrants who
are brought back by Libyan authorities are
regularly detained in centers where they are
subjected to abuse and extortion.
At least 20,000 people have died trying to
cross the Central Mediterranean since 2014,
according to the IOM. A report by the IOM's
Missing Migrants project on Friday said that this
year, 729 deaths had been confirmed on the
route. The number does not include at least 15
so-called "invisible shipwrecks" – incidents
that cannot be verified because boats are not
located and there is insufficient information.
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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JANUARY 2021
EYEWITNESS
PHOTO BY JAMES BIANCHI
