To learn more about our migration activities, see MSF's migration report: https://www.msf-azg.be/sites/default/files/imce/20230515-crisisinfoeumigrationinfomay2023%20(1).pdf
After each rescue, we provided medical and psychological assistance to the survivors, many of whom suffered from hypothermia, burns and seasickness. We also treated skin conditions and general pain, often due to the deplorable living conditions and to the violence suffered by the population in Libya. Many survivors also reported torture or sexual violence.
During an operation in June, our team rescued dozens of people from a broken inflatable boat. No less than 30 people drowned and one woman we brought on board could not be resuscitated.
Our teams often faced long delays waiting for a safe place for survivors to disembark, with people spending an average of nine days on board. Italian authorities attempted to introduce a selective "disembarkation" policy in November, initially allowing only those deemed vulnerable to leave the ship. But when the survivors' mental health rapidly deteriorated and the situation became untenable, all remaining people were eventually allowed to disembark and the policy was abandoned.
Operational space for search and rescue activities became further restricted at the end of the year, when Italian authorities began forcing NGO ships to dock further north along the Italian coast, thus placing outside the search and rescue zone for extended periods and further limiting the already insufficient capacity to save lives.
This practice has been exacerbated by a new decree, approved by the Italian Council of Ministers in December, which stipulates that NGOs must submit a request to dock in a port and go there "without delay" instead of remaining at sea to search for other boats in distress.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues its search and rescue activities to help people who made the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, despite increasing operational and political challenges.
