The Diciotti affair, the Italian coast guard taken hostage
(B2) The Italian coastguard vessel, the Diciotti, was for ten days at the heart of the standoff, at the end of August 2018, between the Italian government and Europe on the care of migrant survivors in the Mediterranean
Rescue off Libya
The case begins on the night of Wednesday to Thursday August 16. THE Diciotti (CP 941) is called for a ship in trouble. The boat that comes from Libya has engine failure and water is beginning to seep on board, 16 or 17 nautical miles off the island of Lampedusa. The coast guard recovers 190 migrants, mainly Somalis and Eritreans. The rescue is coordinated by the Maltese rescue authority, the migrant boat being located partly in this area.
Malta implicated by Rome defends itself
The Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini (Northern League), believes that the Maltese are in question, accusing them of not having carried out the rescue operations and even of having with one of their patrol boats (the P-52) accompanied the migrant boat to the Italian SAR zone (search and rescue at sea). But Malta refuses the landing. " The nearest safe port is Lampedusa “Explains Interior Minister Michael Farrugia in a statement.
. The boat had hitherto navigated without showing signs of difficulty and refused any help indicating that he wanted to go to Italy ". The minister immediately threatens to send them back to Libya if Europe does not make a move. A decision that has multiple aims (see box).
Landing in Sicily
The Italian Minister of Transport, Danilo Toninelli (who belongs to the 5-star movement), authorizes Sunday (August 19) the entrance of Diciotti in the port of Catania, Sicily. But without being able to disembark the migrants. The ship moors at the port Monday (August 20).
#Diciotti dimostra che Italia non si tira mai indietro quando si tratta di salvare vite umane. Il behavior di Malta è ancora una volta inqualificabile e meritevole di sanzioni. The EU if faccia avanti e apra i propri porti alla solidarietà, altrimenti non ha motivivo di esistere
- Danilo Toninelli (@DaniloToninelli) August 19
17 people – eleven women and six men – (13 of whom had already been evacuated) are authorized to disembark for health reasons, as well as 27 unaccompanied minors. But not the others, who remain confined on board.
save who can european
Nothing moves during the week, until the meeting at the European Commission, Friday (August 24). But it does not lead to a distribution solution (read: Migration in the Mediterranean. An informal meeting without tangible success). Contrary to what had been the case for the Lifeline in June (Read: What Italy, Malta and France blame the Lifeline for) and theAquarius mid August (read: The Aquarius welcomed in Malta et Between Paris and Rome, a comedy in five acts against a backdrop of tragedy).
International condemnation...
Saturday August 25. The High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, calls " strongly » Italy and the EU to « allow disembarkation » people who remained on board and « for them to urgently offer resettlement places”.
The situation of refugees and migrants on the “Diciotti” in Catania offends international principles and values. I appeal - strongly - to Italy and the EU to allow disembarkation and make it a collective European effort. https://t.co/Mj7vpuQtYe
- Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) August 25
... and legal proceedings
Saturday (August 25). The Attorney of Agrigento (Sicily) opens an investigation for “ forcible confinement, unlawful arrests and abuse of power “, aiming for the mMinister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, according to medias Italians. It's time for Salvini to close the parenthesis of the incident after the Italian government threatened Europe to no longer pay its contribution to the European budget.
Emergency exit
Albania - which however does not belong to the European Union -, then Ireland - member of the EU -, announce Saturday (August 25) that they are willing to accommodate one 20 people, the other between 20 and 25 people. The Italian Church also decides to open its doors and welcome a good hundred of the survivors of the Diciotti (1)
Il Ministro degli Affari Esteri Enzo Moavero Milanesi ringrazia l'Albania per la decisione di accogliere 20 profughi della nave Diciotti. Un signale di grande solidarietà e amicizia molto apprezzato dall'Italia?? ??
— Farnesina?? (@ItalyMFA) August 25
The epilogue
On the night of Saturday to Sunday (August 26), Few 137 refugees and migrants, who remained on board, leave the ship, one by one. Four of them - three Egyptians and one Bangladeshi - are arrested, considered by the police to be smugglers according to the daily Republic. They are charged with criminal association aimed at human trafficking, facilitating illegal immigration, sexual violence and illegal obtaining. The 43 members of the crew who shared the lives of the rescued people for several days are freed from their task.
The need for a structural solution
It's time for a political lesson: the European Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, thanks " solidarity across borders and communities "But" we cannot always expect this kind of solidarity based on goodwill. We must have structural measures “, he insists.
I welcome that a solution has been found and that all migrants have disembarked from the Diciotti - thanks to solidarity across borders and communities. But we cannot always wait for this type of goodwill solidarity. We need to have structural measures - starting from the EU.
— Dimitris Avramopoulos (@Avramopoulos) August 26
(Emmanuelle Stoesser)
(1) They were welcomed on Tuesday evening at Rocca di Papa, in a center run by the Italian Church (near Rome)
A message for internal and external purposes
The Italian interior minister from the Northern League (national right) has a logic that he follows, imperturbable:
- stop accepting migrants from Libya, at least automatically;
- send a signal across the seas that Italy is no longer a welcoming land;
- reassure his electorate by keeping his campaign promises;
- force its European partners to accept a more equal distribution of arrivals in Italy than they have done so far.
(NGV)
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