The mission of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: to collect information
(B2) The German Daily Time and patience published an account of his presence on board the frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. " We are here to fight traffickers and enforce the arms embargo underlined Commander Christian Schultze. In other words, not only to rescue refugees, as is often believed when speaking of the operation (1).
Gather as much information as possible
Bundeswehr soldiers regularly visit Libyan or Tunisian fishermen. Embarking on water, fruit or... chocolate, the boarding teams aim to make friends with the local boats. " Soldiers talk to crew, ask fishermen about smuggling activity or if they've noticed anything unusual near shore ". " It's like making friends says Schultze.
... recut, dissected
The information goes back to HQ at the European Union Mission in Rome and to Bundeswehr Operations HQ near Potsdam. They are assessed, shared (with EU border agency Frontex, police agency Europol and Italian authorities) and cross-checked. Because everyone has different information. " I don't know if a French unit could have similar information [to the ones we collected],” Schultze told Die Zeit journalist Veronika Völlinger.
A real network mosaic, beyond suspicion
Little by little, a more complete picture of the activities of smugglers and their networks is thus emerging. " It's a real mosaic ", points out the commander, " nobody really suspects how important it is »
(NGV)
(1) Confusion profusely maintained by the communication generated by the operation, which often has the only concrete assessment to provide but the number of people recovered at sea like the Bundeswehr.
