Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

The images of dead migrant children washing ashore in Libya captured the tragic loss of life which many Maltese are becoming “worryingly used to”, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

“We are getting too used to this, as if it’s normal for 400 people to die in a shipwreck,” he told Times of Malta.

“For Christ’s sake we’re talking about 400 people who lost their lives: 400 men, women and children. Children who could have very well been my own,” Dr Muscat said, his gaze becoming sombre as he reflected on this tragedy.

He was speaking as fresh reports yesterday surfaced of another 41 migrants feared dead in the latest Mediterranean shipwreck.

More than 400 migrants are believed to have died in the past days as smugglers made the most of the first patch of good weather to send dozens of unseaworthy boats to Europe. Dr Muscat said he was surprised by the lack of coverage the tragedies have had in the international press.

“It is shocking too that there has not been a furore in the international media about this. It is like these tragedies are becoming the norm... Had this occurred anywhere else, every media station you switch to would be covering it,” he said.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna too had a strong message to send, urging Europe not to turn a blind eye to the “persecuted peoples of the Mediterranean,” as he referred to the Times of Malta front page yesterday showing a toddler who had drowned.

“This is not only sad and tragic. It is also an urgent call to action, a reminder of our great responsibility. What are we going to do? We cannot simply stand and watch,” he urged.

He called on Catholics to practise their faith in the “exercise of true solidarity and compassion”.

Meanwhile, Dr Muscat drew a “silver lining”, not from the tragedies but from recent developments in the international community. He said he had noticed a “marked shift” in certain member states’ previous unwillingness to pitch in.

Don’t turn blind eye, pleads Archbishop

Certain country leaders, who were previously oblivious to Malta’s migration plight, were now exhibiting a “change in policy”.

Pressed to explain, Dr Muscat pointed to EU heavyweight Germany, which he yesterday described as “an ally” after the country had previously been reluctant to even discuss the possibility of increased involvement.

“Until not so long ago Germany was one of those countries that didn’t want to hear about this. Today we are finding it is one of our allies,” he said.

He added that this new direction was being “spearheaded” by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and he hoped to discuss this further in the coming weeks.

Ultimately, however, the solution to stem the number of tragic migrant deaths rested with finding a lasting solution to the conflict in Libya, he said.

He noted the North African country was fast moving towards “anarchy”, with smugglers making the most of lack of enforcement or a functional police force.

“There is blatant abuse on the Libyan coast. We are informed there is a situation where smugglers are taking migrants out on large mother ships and then dispatching boats filled to the brim,” he said, adding that government intelligence also suggested that prices for such journeys were comparable to business class tickets on legacy airlines.

Dr Muscat said he only envisaged one solution, and that was the installation of some form of government in Libya – any other efforts to stem the migration flow would be in vain.

Smugglers’ strategy

Graphic: Design Studio

Sources in Libya have told Times of Malta smugglers were likely towing empty dinghies to sea and then transferring large groups of migrants into these flimsy vessels from larger boats.

“The dinghies they are using are absolutely worthless, they’re unable to keep afloat even after a few dozen miles, which means that if they had to start the journey from the Libyan coast, they would sink within the country’s territorial waters,” they said.

Despite starting their journey much closer to Europe, the dinghies usually encounter problems after just a few nautical miles. At this point the weary passengers turn to a satellite phone provided by the smugglers to make a distress call to Maltese or Italian authorities.

Smugglers operating from a zone west of Tripoli have exploited a window of very good weather in the past few days, sending dozens of boats, mostly from the coastal towns of Sabratha and Zuwara (see map).

Before making the journey the migrants are being kept in sites controlled by smugglers, who sources claim have more control over the operation than ever before.