Aegean Boat Report is   demanding  justice for survivors,and  victims of Pylos shipwreck.

Aegean Boat Report made the demand in a post on it X handle asking  if those responsible for the Pylos Shipwreck will ever be held accountable.

The post reads:

19 months after the Pylos shipwreck, where over 600 people were killed by Greek authorities in a failed pushback attempt, still nobody has been held accountable.

From the two parties involved, Greek authorities and Frontex, we can only hear a deafening silence.

While legal representatives of the victims and humanitarian organisations are demanding answers and accountability, the European Commission is not lifting a finger to address the elephant in the room.

We could argue that European authorities are not interested in finding out what really happened when the Adriana went down, because that would put a negative spotlight on their current migration policies.

In times when European politics is leaning heavily towards the right, anything that could potentially be seen as damming for the “cause”, is swept under the rug, and this case is most definitely damming.

That the so called “independent” investigation by the Greek authorities has been without results, shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone. Greece has a perfect track record when it comes to investigating themselves, they have actually never in history, found themselves guilty of anything, this case will be no exception.

One would expect that when over 600 people have been killed in Europe, by a European authority, a member of the European Union, that the commission would immediately launch a thorough independent investigation, to make sure that every stone has been turned, every shred of evidence investigated, to seek out the truth, and hold those responsible accountable.

But no, the Commission’s response was to do nothing, and wait for the results of the national investigation, and as we all know, this investigation will never be properly investigated by Greek authorities, if ever concluded.

If there ever was a time where Greek authorities should have been forced by a collective Europe, to provide all evidence to an independent international investigation, the sinking of the Adriana was it, but to be honest, absolutely nothing worth mentioning has been done.

What has been done is to give Greek authorities the time they needed to cover up their crime. They have been given time to get their ducks in a row, so that if a proper investigation would be launched, there would be no evidence left to investigate.

What has for instance the Executive Director of Frontex, Hans Leijtens, done to force Greek authorities to at least come to a conclusion in their so called investigation?

He would probably say “all in my power” but what is that really, because we can at least not see one piece of evidence that points in that direction.

The fact that there is absolutely nothing after 19 months speaks volumes, and we all know it will be the same after 24 months, 36, and so forth.

In all fairness, I don’t believe this would have been the case if it had been over 600 Europeans that were killed by Greek authorities. What does that say about us?

Over 600 people were killed in one of Europe’s biggest maritime disasters in modern history, nobody is held accountable, and most likely nobody will.

We demand justice for the survivors and victims of the Pylos shipwreck!

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have renewed their collaboration to ensure migrant and displaced children are protected before, during and after climate-related migration and displacement – and have access to critical social services.

There were 120 million displaced people at the end of 2023, with children and youth the invisible majority.

“The impacts of climate change drive millions of children from their homes every year,” said Amy Pope, Director General of IOM. “This renewed IOM-UNICEF partnership prioritizes and strengthens the protection and well-being of the youngest and most vulnerable populations.”

Signed at the 29th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP29) to emphasize the connection between children, young people and the future of our planet, the agreement formalized under a four-year Strategic Collaboration Framework will cover the period between 2024 and 2028 and build on the successful collaboration started in 2022.

Millions of children are already being driven from their homes by weather-related events, exacerbated by climate change. From extreme heat to floods, droughts and hurricanes, the impacts of climate change and displacement continue to intensify. Climate change is not only an environmental issue; it is a protection crisis, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable children and families. The renewed partnership recognizes the need to address how climate change, migration and child rights intersect – and to prioritize children’s protection and well-being.

Building on joint efforts to establish Guiding Principles on Children on the Move in the context of Climate Change, IOM and UNICEF will work to comparative advantage to prepare children and young people to live in a climate changed world and strengthen the services they need to build their resilience and reach their full potential.

“Children and young people who have been uprooted by climate shocks – in places like the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Southeast Asia – have the lived experiences and ideas to better mitigate and adapt to climate change. They must be partners in shaping solutions,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “Through this partnership, we will work for, and with, migrant and displaced children and youth, to ensure their needs and priorities are included in climate action, policy and finance.”

The agreement also focuses on solutions to internal displacement. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally continues to rise year on year, with over 75 million people living in displacement at the end of 2023. As displacement becomes increasingly protracted, children are spending their entire childhoods displaced, often excluded from critical services and exposed to protection risks and discrimination. As the mandate of the Special Adviser on Solutions to Internal Displacement concludes in 2024, IOM and UNICEF are committed to ensure that prevention and solutions to displacement effectively address the needs and vulnerabilities of children.

To deliver on the commitments made under the Paris Agreement, Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage, the Sendai Framework and the Secretary General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement, IOM and UNICEF encourage governments, donors, development partners and the private sector, to join forces to protect, include and empower children on the move – for better outcomes for children today – and more resilient communities and countries tomorrow.

International Organization for Migration Chief, Amy Pope, has described the situation in Sudan as catastrophic.

She spoke in
Port Sudan, on Tuesday beginning her four-day visit to the troubled nation.

Her speech reads:

Good morning, I am glad to be able to speak with you this morning live from Port Sudan.

I arrived here yesterday on a four day visit, into a deteriorating security situation with alarming reports of new atrocities. I have heard distressing detail from our teams on the ground of the conditions faced by ordinary Sudanese people whose lives have been thrown into turmoil by this conflict.

The situation here in Sudan is catastrophic. There is simply no other way to put it. Hunger, disease and sexual violence are rampant. For the people of Sudan, this is a living nightmare.

This is an underreported conflict situation, and we must pay it more attention. Millions are suffering, and there is now the serious possibility of the conflict igniting regional instability from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa to the Red Sea.

Yesterday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres shone the spotlight on this suffering, calling it an ‘utter humanitarian catastrophe’.

Eighteen months have passed since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. Outside forces are now ‘fueling the fire’ which is intensifying the conflict.

The suffering is growing by the day, with the Secretary General reporting yesterday that almost 25 million people are now requiring assistance.

In recent days, we have heard utterly shocking reports of mass killings and sexual violence in villages in Al Jazirah State in the east of the country.

Throughout this year, Sudan has been the world’s largest displacement crisis.

Today I can share that we will release new figures this week showing the displacement number has hit 11 million. That’s up 200,000 just since September.

Another 3.1 million people have traveled across borders to flee the fighting. In total, nearly 30 per cent of Sudan’s population has been displaced.

More than half of those displaced are women, and more than a quarter of them are children under the age of five. Think about that for a moment, that is a huge number of extremely vulnerable women and children on the move.

Many have been forced to flee repeatedly, with little to no access to shelter, much less to their livelihoods and the ability to get basic necessities. 

The scale of this displacement – and the corresponding humanitarian needs – grows every day. Half the country’s population needs help. They don’t have access to shelter, to clean drinking water, to healthcare. Disease is spreading fast.

One in every two Sudanese is struggling to get even the minimal amount of food to survive. Famine conditions have taken hold in North Darfur, and millions struggle to feed themselves every day.

I saw some of that suffering yesterday, in a visit to the Arbaat dam area about 40 kilometers from Port Sudan.

After heavy rains in August, a spillway collapsed. The resulting flood killed at least 148 people and devastated homes, livestock, and infrastructure.

This devastation would be bad enough if it weren’t coming on top of a conflict that continues to rage and is becoming worse by the day – and one that has dramatically impacted the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The safety of aid workers is often threatened. Access restrictions and bureaucratic impediments continue to be imposed.

People are dying because of this.

The parties to this conflict must do what they have pledged to do — and what international humanitarian law requires — protect civilians, and ensure safe, swift and unimpeded access to life-saving assistance.  

What we also need, most desperately, is the help of the international community.

Sudan is easily the most neglected crisis in the world today. The collective failure to act means the devastation risks spilling over into neighboring countries.

At a conference in Paris this past April, the international community made generous pledges. But that appeal is only 52 per cent funded. And though IOM has been able to help nearly 3 million people since the war started, our part of the response plan is only 20 per cent funded.

With the proper amount of funding, there is much we can do to alleviate the suffering, to help people get shelter and proper sanitation, to feed them and protect them.

But our progress will always be limited as long as war continues to be waged.

All wars are brutal, but the toll of this one is particularly horrifying, and the recent killings and appalling human rights violations in Aj Jazirah state were yet another example. Since last year, reports of rape, torture and ethnically motivated violence have been far too common. Indiscriminate attacks are killing civilians, including young children.  

Some of the areas of most severe need remain cut off entirely, with no access to humanitarian aid.

The potential long-term impact of this catastrophic crisis is simply staggering. Education will be set back decades. The health and well-being of children will be stunted. Livelihoods will be permanently ruined. A generation will live in the shadow of trauma.

And the immense tragedy about it all is that a peaceful Sudan has the capacity to take care of itself. Its people are resilient, and their natural resources are immense.

So while I’m here today to raise awareness of the needs and to highlight the cost of this displacement crisis, what IOM really wants – what every person in the world should want – is for the guns in Sudan to fall silent.

The humanitarian response must be scaled up, and we call on the donor community to support this effort.

I echo the Secretary General in calling for:
An end to hostilities;
Protection for civilians;
and access for humanitarian agencies so that aid can flow.

We will not allow Sudan to be forgotten. But its people need peace, now.