News
2023: Plight of people fleeing across Mediterranean didn’t improve- SOS Humanity
Humanitarian plight of people fleeing across the Mediterranean didn’t improve in 2023, SOS Humanity has said.
It said: “The year is coming to an end. It has become cold – not only on the Mediterranean, but also in our society. 2023 was another year in which the humanitarian plight of people fleeing across the Mediterranean did not improve. On the contrary: for 2,571 people who drowned in the Mediterranean in 2023, all help came too late (IOM, as of 20 December 2023). Our crew documented numerous human rights violations and experienced the direct effects of the European closed door policy at first hand.
“In a review of the year, we look back at some of the most important events in 2024:
SURVIVORS
1101
RESCUE OPERATION
24
VOLUNTEER GROUPS
8
PETITIONS
2
AWARDS
3
Jana Stallein
“Italy’s isolation policy
The past year under Italy’s ultra-right-wing government has once again made civil search an rescue efforts for people on the move in distress more. In January, Italy passed a decree, which was converted into a law in spring, requiring civil rescue ships to sail immediately to an assigned port after the first rescue, even if there are other distress cases in area. SOS Humanity and other organisations criticise this new law as a clear violation of international maritime law, European law and human rights. In addition, the Italian authorities almost exclusively order civilian rescue ships to distant ports with the effect that rescue ships are kept away from the area of operation for a long time. We have filed a complaint against the systematic assignment of distant ports because the unnecessarily long time spent at sea violates the rights of those seeking protection. In addition, several NGOs including SOS Humanity have jointly lodged a complaint with the EU Commission because it is not taking any action against the new Italian law and the distant ports practice.
Wanda Proft / SOS Humanity
Petition “SOS on the Mediterranean”
At the same time, the German government and the EU Commission are neglecting their legal and humanitarian obligations and betraying their own promises. There are still no plans for a European search and rescue programme for the coming year. This is despite the fact that the German government already promised in the coalition agreement in autumn 2021 to strive for “European-supported and state-coordinated search and rescue in the Mediterranean”. Even the 62,589 signatures collected on our “SOS in the Mediterranean” petition, which SOS Humanity presented at a protest in June, could not change this. This means that the civilian fleet will remain solely and decisively responsible for rescuing people in the Libyan search and rescue zone in the southern Mediterranean.
SOS – save our ship!
In August, we were faced with another challenge: Due to financial constraints, we were on the verge of not being able to carry out the next deployment of our rescue ship. However, thanks to the generous donations of many who responded to our emergency call “SOS – Save our ship!”, we were able to continue our life-saving work in the Mediterranean. This would not have been possible without the support of thousands of private donors, institutional donors such as SOS Children’s Villages and Islamic Relief and a grant from the German Federal Foreign Office, which was approved by the Bundestag in 2022.
Support SOS Humanity!
Open-Ship in Siracusa
Wanda Proft / SOS Humanity
Wanda Proft / SOS Humanity
Wanda Proft / SOS Humanity
Rebecca Gahr / SOS Humanity
Wanda Proft / SOS Humanity
In September, our rescue ship was open to the public in the port of Siracusa/Sicily for the first time. Crew members gave a guided tour of a photo exhibition on board and provided insights into our work at sea. Also, our lawyers were present and gave a talk on the legal basis of search and rescue. For four weeks, visitors, journalists and donors were able to find out more and talk to the team of SOS Humanity.
Camilla Kranzusch / SOS Humanity
BMI plans to amend the Residence Act
In November, a planned amendment to the Residence Act by the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) opens the floodgates to the criminalisation of sea rescuers, humanitarian aid workers and people on the move in Germany. They all face up to 10 years in prison. A decision on this is to be made in the Bundestag at the beginning of the new year.
Sign our petition!
Jana Stallein
Detention of Humanity 1
While politicians are discussing further restrictions on civil search and rescue, Humanity 1 remains in action. In 6 rescues, our crew was able to save 1,101 people from drowning in the Mediterranean. They always complied with orders of the authorities as well as international maritime law. Nevertheless, our last rescue mission for 2023 ended in December with the Humanity 1 being detained for 20 days in the port of Crotone in Calabria. This was due to false accusations by the authorities. They accused the crew of the Humanity 1 of disobeying instructions – which in fact have never been given at all – during the rescue operation on 30 November, during which 46 people were rescued from the water and a pull-back by the Libyan coastguard was witnessed. Using tape recordings of the radio communication, position data of the ship and photo and video material, we can refute these allegations. Since 23 December 2023, the Humanity 1 has been free again and ready to embark on its next rescue mission in January 2024!
DANIEL STRÄSSE
“The topic is extremely important because people fleeing across the Mediterranean are left alone, forgotten, their fate suppressed.”
Reading: Tatort Mittelmeer
We ended the year with two successful events: On 3 December 2023 at the almost sold-out Thalia Theatre in Hamburg, ten actors, some of them known as TV commissioners, presented deeply moving reports from refugees and from sea rescuers from SOS Humanity. Entitled “Crime Scene Mediterranean”, the reading drew the audience’s attention to the daily human rights violations in the Mediterranean, where on average one person drowns every three hours while fleeing. The celebrities made the voices of people fleeing the Mediterranean heard, which are far too often ignored by politics and society. After the reading, the TV presenters collected donations on their own – with great success!
SOS SESSIONS
With the charity music event SOS SESSIONS, which took place on 13 December 2023 at Huxleys – Neue Welt in Berlin, we once again drew attention to the dangers that people have to face when fleeing across the Mediterranean in a completely different way. Between the performances by Deichkind, Mine, Josi Miller, Ätna and Megaloh, Till Rummenhohl, Managing Director of SOS Humanity, and Mirka Schäfer, Political Officer at SOS Humanity, spoke with moderator Hadnet Tesfai about the current situation in the Mediterranean and the contradiction between European closed door policies and applicable human rights. While the artists went full throttle on stage, the audience also donated diligently to the livestream in order to finance the life-saving missions of Humanity 1 in the coming year.
We look to the new year with optimism and hope that civil search and rescue will no longer be hindered in 2024. Political foundations must be laid for legal and safe escape routes so that no one has to embark on the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean. But even if the political situation continues to deteriorate, we will remain in action with the Humanity 1 and save lives. Let’s face the headwinds with humanity together and with determination in 2024.
Human rights organisations and migrant rights advocates have welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to confirm all 17 charges against Osama El-Hishri, describing it as a landmark step towards justice for victims of abuses committed at Libya’s notorious Mitiga Prison.
The ICC’s confirmation of the charges clears the way for El-Hishri to stand trial over allegations linked to murder, torture, sexual violence and other crimes allegedly committed against detainees at the prison in Tripoli.
Reacting to the decision, migrant distress network Alarm Phone described the ruling as “historic” for survivors of crimes committed at Mitiga Prison.
“The International Criminal Court confirmed all 17 charges against El-Hishri. This is a historic decision for survivors of crimes committed at Mitiga prison in Libya,” the organisation said in a statement posted on X.
Alarm Phone also echoed calls by refugee advocacy group Refugees in Libya, saying the prosecution should mark the beginning of broader efforts to hold perpetrators of abuses in Libya accountable.
Similarly, Sea-Watch International hailed the ICC’s decision, noting that the confirmation means the case will now proceed to trial.
The organisation alleged that El-Hishri was a senior member of Libya’s Special Deterrence Force (SDF/RADA) militia and headed parts of Mitiga Prison, where migrants and refugees were subjected to severe human rights violations.
“The ICC confirmed all 17 charges against El-Hishri today. The case is going to trial,” Sea-Watch International said.
It added that people on the move detained at Mitiga Prison had been subjected to murder, torture and sexual violence, describing the prosecution as an important step in addressing longstanding impunity for abuses against migrants in Libya.
Activist Yousef Ismail also welcomed the court’s decision, saying it represented the kind of justice victims had long demanded.
“This is the real number; this is the truth we seek. We always speak of justice and respect for human rights. The International Criminal Court has fairly proven 17 charges against the so-called ‘Hashri,’ the rapist and the gatekeeper of Mitiga,” he wrote on X.
The ICC’s decision has been widely viewed by rights advocates as a significant milestone in efforts to secure accountability for crimes allegedly committed against migrants and refugees held in Libya’s detention system.
Campaigners, however, stressed that the prosecution of El-Hishri should not be the end of international efforts, urging authorities to investigate other individuals allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations in Libya’s detention facilities.
A former Head of Policy Development and Evaluation at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Jeff Crisp, has suggested that the organization’s newly announced leadership appointments could signal a shift in its priorities away from refugee protection and asylum toward humanitarian assistance and development.
Reacting to the appointments in a post on X, Crisp said the selection of the agency’s new senior officials “suggest that the agency might be going to focus on humanitarian assistance & development issues rather than refugee protection & asylum.”
He added that his concerns were reinforced by UNHCR’s support for the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum.
“A suspicion strengthened by UNHCR’s endorsement of the EU Pact on Migration & Asylum,” Crisp wrote.
His comments came shortly after United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointments of Tressa Rae Finerty as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Antón Leis García as Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih welcomed the appointments, saying the three officials bring extensive experience in humanitarian affairs, international cooperation and refugee protection. They are expected to assume their duties in the coming weeks.
Crisp’s remarks reflect concerns held by some refugee rights advocates and migration experts who have argued that UNHCR faces increasing pressure to balance its traditional mandate of protecting refugees and defending the right to asylum with expanding responsibilities in humanitarian response, development cooperation and migration management.
The appointments come at a time when the agency is grappling with record levels of forced displacement worldwide, shrinking humanitarian funding and increasingly restrictive asylum policies in many parts of the world.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has warned that the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading in communities already devastated by years of armed conflict, displacement and inadequate access to basic services, urging the international community to step up funding and political support for the response.
In a statement, NRC’s Country Director in DR Congo, Eric Batonon, said the outbreak was unfolding in Ituri province, the current epicentre of the epidemic, where thousands of displaced people have spent years living in overcrowded shelters with poor sanitation and limited healthcare.
According to Batonon, prolonged violence by armed groups competing for control of land and mineral resources has forced millions from their homes, while the humanitarian crisis has received insufficient attention from donors and the international community.
He said these conditions had created an environment in which Ebola has been able to spread rapidly, contributing to the rising number of infections.
Batonon stressed that infection prevention and control measures must remain central to the response, adding that affected communities should play a leading role in shaping response strategies.
He said building trust and engaging directly with local populations would be critical to containing the outbreak, arguing that Ebola can only be effectively controlled when community priorities guide public health policies.
The NRC said it has intensified its Ebola response in eastern DRC through community awareness campaigns and preventive health measures. The organisation is establishing handwashing stations, distributing hygiene supplies and supporting efforts to reduce the risk of infection in affected communities.
It also said its teams are working to minimise disruptions to children’s education by helping schools operate safely during the outbreak.
In addition, NRC staff are assessing the impact of the epidemic on internally displaced persons in Ituri as well as neighbouring North and South Kivu provinces, where many people continue to live in overcrowded camps with inadequate sanitation facilities.
The findings, Batonon said, will help shape humanitarian interventions for some of the country’s most vulnerable populations.
The NRC noted that DR Congo has appeared on its annual list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises every year over the past decade, reflecting what it described as persistent international neglect of the humanitarian situation in the country’s east.
Batonon called on donors to provide flexible and sustained funding while increasing political engagement to ensure the Ebola response can outpace the spread of the disease and address the underlying humanitarian conditions that have worsened the outbreak.
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