Italian authorities have detained the search-and-rescue vessel *Sea Punk I* for 15 days and imposed a €7,500 fine following the rescue of 20 people in international waters.

The rescue took place on Thursday, 10 September 2026, near the Bouri oil platform. The vessel’s crew said the operation was conducted in coordination with Italian authorities and in line with applicable conventions and international regulations.

Authorities cited the so-called Piantedosi Decree and accused the captain of failing to follow instructions from the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. The *Sea Punk I* is an alliance partner of the Justice Fleet, a coalition of civil search-and-rescue organisations and supporters.

The Justice Fleet said the detention brings the total number of days its vessels have been blocked by Italian authorities to more than 310 since the alliance was founded in November 2025. The *Sea Punk I* is the 11th Justice Fleet vessel to be detained.

Civil search-and-rescue organisations have documented almost 80 incidents of extreme violence by Libyan militias since 2016, most attributed to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, according to the Justice Fleet. The group also says more than 27,000 people fleeing Libya were forcibly returned there last year, in violation of international law. It said refugees and migrants in the country face rising violence and death threats.

“While extreme violence against people on the move is currently unfolding in Libya, the Italian authorities want to force us to cooperate with the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. Not with us!” said Justice Fleet spokesperson Giulia Messmer, calling for an end to European cooperation with the force.

The Justice Fleet was founded in November 2025 by 13 search-and-rescue organisations, with support from civil society groups. It says its aims include challenging the detention of rescue vessels in Italy and opposing the outsourcing of migration control to Libyan actors.

A new UN data show has shown that more than 20,000 of the 31,100 children who reached Europe along mixed migration routes last year arrived without a parent or guardian.

Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Amy Pope urged closer cooperation between European States and countries along the routes to protect children travelling alone and to counter the smuggling and criminal networks that prey on them.

The findings suggest that reduced opportunities for safe, protection-sensitive movement along these routes may be pushing young people towards riskier journeys, with greater reliance on smugglers and greater exposure to violence, exploitation and abuse.

“Children are making difficult and dangerous journeys without a parent or guardian by their side,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. “This report shows how exposed they are to violence and exploitation when safe pathways are limited, and they have to rely on smugglers. No child should have to face these risks alone. Our shared responsibility is to work across borders to protect them, uphold their rights, and provide the care and support they need.”

Overall child arrivals by sea and land in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain fell by 25 per cent compared with 2024. Of the children who arrived, 78 per cent were boys and 22 per cent were girls. But the share recorded as unaccompanied rose to 67 per cent, up from 51 per cent a year earlier. The highest proportions were in Italy and Spain, where 86 per cent of children arrived alone.

Italy ran against the downward trend. Overall arrivals there were stable, yet the number of children rose by 12 per cent to almost 14,100, most of them from Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

The journeys are dangerous. IOM interviewed more than 4,600 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 along the Mediterranean, Western African Atlantic and Western Balkan routes. Nearly half of those asked about their experiences reported physical violence. On the Central Mediterranean route, 28 per cent said they had been held against their will, and 17 per cent said they had been forced to work. Libya remained the country most often cited as the place where abuse occurred.

Meanwhile, safe alternatives narrowed. Children made up half of the 6,800 people in refugee resettlement procedures to Europe in 2025: 3,400 children, compared with 8,900 a year earlier. Separately, only 199 children were relocated between European States under the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism, down 67 per cent, and none of them was unaccompanied.

In total, 214,600 children sought international protection in Europe in 2025, 79 per cent of them first-time applicants. Around 71 per cent of first-time applications were lodged in just four countries: Germany (30 per cent), France (19 per cent), Spain (15 per cent) and Greece (7 per cent). Of 210,900 first-instance decisions on children’s claims, 56 per cent were positive, while rejections rose by 25 per cent.

IOM urges European Union Member States to put the best interests of the child at the centre of every decision, to guarantee timely access to services, and never to detain children for immigration purposes. Unaccompanied and separated children should have immediate access to legal representation. Age assessments should be rare, child-sensitive and open to appeal.      

Trente-neuf personnes, dont sept femmes — parmi lesquelles une femme enceinte — et 13 enfants, ont été secourues en mer ce matin par l’équipage du M.V. Louise Michel, après qu’Alarm Phone a alerté le navire de la présence d’une embarcation pneumatique surchargée et impropre à la navigation en détresse.

Selon l’équipage, les personnes secourues voyageaient sans équipements de sauvetage adéquats, sans carburant ni nourriture. Certaines auraient souffert de brûlures causées par le carburant. Le groupe est désormais transporté vers Messine.

Ce sauvetage intervient alors que le suivi des opérations de contrôle migratoire en Libye fait état de centaines de personnes interceptées, arrêtées ou soumises à d’autres mesures dans le cadre d’opérations menées à travers le pays.

Entre le 2 et le 4 octobre, selon les informations disponibles, entre 312 et 342 personnes auraient été prises dans de telles opérations, bien que le nombre réel puisse être plus élevé.

Dans la région de Tobrouk, les rapports de suivi indiquent qu’environ 120 à 150 personnes ont été interceptées lors d’opérations terrestres. Dans les quartiers de Tajoura et d’Aïn Zara, à Tripoli, environ 85 personnes auraient été détenues lors de perquisitions menées dans des domiciles et sur des lieux de travail.

Au large de Zawiya, 62 personnes supplémentaires auraient été interceptées en mer et renvoyées en Libye, tandis qu’environ 45 autres auraient été arrêtées le long des routes de transit du sud, près de Koufra.

Ces chiffres illustrent les différentes étapes du contrôle migratoire auxquelles sont confrontées les personnes qui tentent de quitter la Libye : interception à terre, détention, interception en mer et, dans certains cas, expulsion ou retour forcé.

Dans le même temps, les organisations civiles de recherche et de sauvetage opérant en Méditerranée continuent de faire l’objet d’enquêtes, de mesures administratives visant leurs navires, d’amendes et de critiques politiques concernant leurs activités.

Ce contraste a suscité des critiques de la part des organisations de sauvetage, qui affirment que les groupes humanitaires sont soumis à des restrictions croissantes, tandis que les acteurs libyens chargés de la sécurité et des interceptions continuent de bénéficier de la coopération, de la formation, de l’équipement et du financement européens dans le cadre d’efforts présentés comme relevant de la « gestion des migrations ».

La question est devenue un élément controversé de la politique migratoire européenne, certains défenseurs des droits des migrants s’interrogeant sur le fait de savoir si les mesures visant à empêcher les migrations irrégulières contribuent à la détention et au retour forcé de personnes qui tentent de rejoindre un lieu sûr.

Pour les 39 personnes secourues par le Louise Michel, le voyage se poursuit en direction de l’Italie. Pour les centaines d’autres personnes qui auraient été interceptées à travers la Libye ces derniers jours, l’issue a été la détention, le renvoi ou l’éloignement des routes migratoires.