“The status quo cannot continue”, the Special Envoy for the Mediterranean of the Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations, Vincent Cochetel reacted, on Friday 5 July. He was speaking the day after the discovery of a new shipwreck between Libya and Tunisia on the evening of 3 July, following which 80 people were reported missing, according to two survivors. “Nobody puts their lives and the lives of their families at risk on these desperate boat journeys unless they feel they have no other choice. We need to provide people with meaningful alternatives that stops them from needing to step foot on a boat in the first place”, commented the manager.
Tunisian fishermen reportedly passed by near the shipwreck and recovered three people, one of whom died in hospital, according to UNCHR, which reported that it had also released 29 refugees from the Gharyan detention centre, 90 km south of Tripoli, on 5 July.
This shipwreck occurs at a time when Europeans are still experiencing tensions over how to respond to NGOs rescuing migrants. On 5 July, Malta finally reached an agreement with Italy to collect and welcome the 54 to 55 migrants collected by the NGO Mediterranea, while Rome refused to let them disembark in Lampedusa. In exchange, Italy would welcome 55 migrants already in Malta. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)