The international NGO Doctors Without Borders has teamed up with the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) in a joint search and rescue operation off the Libyan coast, starting in May.
“Europe has turned its back on people fleeing some of the worst humanitarian crises of our time,” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) general director Arjan Hehen-kamp said.
“The decision to close doors and build fences means that men, women and children are forced to risk their lives and take a desperate journey across the sea. Ignoring this situation will not make it go away. Europe has both the resources and the responsibility to prevent more deaths on its doorstep,” he said.
The partnership between the two organisations comes as stakeholders are expecting a grim summer for migrants.
Ignoring the situation will not make it go away
According to figures released by the International Organisation for Migration, at least 480 migrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, often because of bad weather conditions and the acute disrepair of the overcrowded vessels used by the smugglers.
This compares to about 50 fatalities for the same period last year.
Moreover, since then, the Italian Mare Nostrum operation, which single-handedly rescued more than 170,000 migrants in 2014, was discontinued and replaced with a far less effective Frontex operation. An MSF medical team of two doctors and a nurse will be on board as part of a 20-crew team, to provide emergency and treat typical medical needs such as dehydration, fuel burns, severe sunburn and hypothermia.
“We cannot put an end to the wars and misery which force people to leave their home countries, but we do have a chance to reduce the number of deaths and provide critical assistance to the thousands of human beings who will cross the Mediterranean this summer,” Mr Hehenkamp said.
MOAS director Martin Xuereb, the former Armed Forces of Malta commander, said: “Our motivation is simple. No one deserves to die, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that those who feel compelled to undertake this treacherous sea crossing in makeshift vessels do not drown.”
The Malta-based MOAS is the first privately-funded search and rescue operation in the world. It uses a 43-metre vessel that has been modified for the task along with two civilian drones – remotely operated helicopters – that give the vessel eyes in the sky over vast areas of sea.
Last year, in its first mission, it managed to rescue 3,000 people in 60 days.