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MSF suspends Mediterranean rescues as migrant dispute mounts

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Saturday it was suspending its migrant rescues in the Mediterranean because it felt threatened by the Libyan coastguard and the Italian government’s policies have made its job harder، according to “Reuters”. The aid group’s decision is the latest development in mounting tensions between Rome and NGOs as migration dominates Italy’s political agenda ahead of elections early next year. “We are suspending our activities because now we feel that the threatening behavior by the Libyan coastguard is very serious… we cannot put our colleagues in danger،” the president of MSF’s Italian arm Loris De Filippi told Reuters. Almost 600،000 migrants have arrived in Italy over the past four years، the vast majority setting sail from lawless Libya in flimsy vessels operated by people smugglers. More than 13،000 migrants have died trying to make the crossing. Charity boats have played a growing role in rescues، picking up more than a third of all migrants brought ashore so far this year against less than one percent in 2014. However، Italy fears the groups are facilitating people smuggling and encouraging migrants to make the passage، and it has proposed a Code of Conduct governing how they operate. Some groups، including MSF، have refused to sign the code. They object to a requirement that Italian police officers be on their boats and that the boats must take migrants to a safe port themselves، rather than transferring them to other vessels to allow smaller boats to stay in the area for further rescues. MSF operates one rescue ship in the Mediterranean، the Prudence، currently docked in the Sicilian port of Catania.

VOS Prudence denied port entry because of size

The "VOS Prudence" was denied to berth in the port of Lampedusa. It was thought that the ban could be a reaction to the refusal to sign the Code for Mediterranean NGOs. But as it has become known, the "VOS Prudence" was probably just too big for the port of Lampedusa. She had on board 127 migrants who had been rescued on Aug 5, 2017 by two ships of the Italian Coastguard who transferred them aboard and headed to Lampedusa. But the port's quayside was simply too small for ships of this size. This was also communicated to the Italian MRCC in advance. The port authorities in Catania were also officially informed of the planned arrival.

Aid ship crammed with 1500 refugees was banned from Sicily

The "VOS Prudence", carrying 1,500 migrants, was banned from docking in a Sicilian port because of tight security surrounding G7 summit. Among the refugees on the ship were 207 women, 22 of them pregnant, and more than 140 children. The crew had assisted a total of 12 boats in distress during a gruelling ten-hour operation on May 25, 2017. The ship had a normal capacity of 600 people. They were landed in Naples on May 27 after being forced to endure an extra two days on board. Report with photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4550474/Pulling-Med-port-ship-carrying-1-500-migrants.html