AITA MARI

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NGO ship rescued hundreds of migrants and was threatened by Libyan "Coastguard".

The 'Aita Mari' rescued 125 boat people in the waters of the Central Mediterranean on April 13, 2025. It was the second rescue carried out by the NGO Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH), which disembarked 108 people in Salerno on April 14. Among the rescued were 19 minors, 16 of them unaccompanied, and two under 12 years old. There were also two pregnant women. The migrants came from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt, Togo, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, and Niger. After disembarking the 108 people rescued four days earlier in Salerno, the 'Aita Mari' resumed its mission in the Central Mediterranean. Alarm Phone then mobilized the humanitarian ship to respond to the critical situation of a rubber dinghy with a broken bottom and 84 people on board, in grave danger as it took on water. After two hours of unsuccessful notifications to the authorities, the 'Aita Mari' located the rubber dinghy, whose position had previously been overflown by a Frontex aircraft. During the rescue operation, a second wooden boat with 45 people on board appeared in the area. While the 41 people were being transferred from this second boat to the 'Aita Mari', the remaining four started their engines and left the scene. The Italian authorities have designated the port of Catania for the disembarkation, scheduled for the early afternoon of April 14. However, current weather conditions, with wind gusts of 30 knots and a forecast of waves of 1.5 to 2 meters, predicedt a difficult journey for those on board. On morning, while the 'Aita Mari' was searching for another rubber dinghy, a Libyan Coast Guard patrol boat, identified as 648, approached at high speed. Libyan crew members pointed an automatic weapon at the 'Aita Mari' while shouting 'Go home!'" A few minutes later, the Aita Mari crew witnessed the interception of a rubber dinghy. The people on board will most likely be held in Libyan detention centers without guarantees of protection for their rights and physical integrity, as consistently reported by those who have survived such centers. Report with photo: https://www.naiz.eus/eu/info/noticia/20250413/aita-mari-rescata-a-125-personas-en-el-mediterraneo-segundo-salvamento-en-siete-dias

33 migrants rescued in Syrian SAR zone

The 'Aita Mari' has rescued 33 people of Syrian origin on the morning of Nov 27, including two women and three unaccompanied minors, in the Mediterranean Sea in the Libyan SAR zone. According to the NGO Maritime Humanitarian Rescue (SMH), the operation has been marked by moments of tension and panic among the people on board, with a Libyan Coast Guard ship that approached dangerously to the boat. All the people were saved and were receiving medical attention, food and water then. The 'Aita Mari' was now heading to the assigned port of Salerno. two days from navigation, despite the fact that there are safe ports much closer.

53 rescued migrants disembarked in Catania

The 'Aita Mari' has docked in the port of Catania on Nov 20 and disembarked the 53 people rescued in the central Mediterranean, among them a group made up mostly of young people and minors. They had been adrift at sea for three days before being located . The disembarkation took place at around 4:00 p.m., giving priority to the medical care of two people in serious condition, who were examined by the Italian authorities to confirm the initial diagnoses made by the medical team of the NGO ship. The rescued people were coming from Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Sudan, countries marked by armed conflicts and prolonged humanitarian crises. According to testimonies collected by the crew of the 'Aita Mari', many of them endured long and dangerous journeys through the Sahara, facing extreme conditions, before being trapped in Libya, where they had been subjected to “torture, beatings and imprisonment” in detention centres run by “militias and corrupt networks”. After years of trying to cross the Mediterranean, some described situations in which they were required to pay large sums of money, under threat of death, to obtain their release. After their arrival in Catania, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Italian authorities, who will be responsible for initiating their asylum application processes. The 'Aita Mari'will remain in port for the next few days due to storm forecasts.