Sixty-four African migrants rescued by the German ship Alan Kurdi and stranded at sea for almost two weeks were transferred to Malta on Saturday to be redistributed in four European Union countries.
The Maltese government on Saturday announced that through the co-ordination of the European Commission, Germany, France, Portugal and Luxembourg will accept the migrants saved by the vessel operated by the humanitarian organisation Sea-Eye, after Rome and Valletta denied the ship entry into their waters.
The 64 people had been rescued off the Libyan coast on April 3 and two migrants were evacuated to Malta earlier this week because of poor health.
In March, Malta received 108 migrants after the small tanker which rescued them was hijacked by some of the migrants themselves. Maltese soldiers stormed the vessel and escorted it to Malta. Three teenagers have since been taken to court and are under arrest.
Libya, where thousands of African and Syrian migrants and refugees are trapped in Tripoli as a battle for the city draws closer, is the main embarkation point for migrants attempting the perilous sea-crossing to Europe.
Italian right-wing leader Matteo Salvini has led a crackdown on illegal immigration by closing Italian ports to humanitarian vessels since his League party formed a coalition last year with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters