Thousands of migrants have risked their lives in rough winter seas in the last week as they tried to reach Italy from Libya, among them reluctant travelers who were forced into rickety boats at gunpoint, according to the Guardian.
The surge in crossings at a normally quiet time of year suggests plans to deter migrants by cutting back rescue operations have failed, as aid groups had warned they would. There are fears the summer peak may bring more loss of life.
“The situation in Libya is so chaotic, whatever policies we adopt it doesn’t matter, they are desperate to get away. There are going to be some terrible tragedies unless we step up search and rescue,” said Leonard Doyle, from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which documented the deaths of more than 3,200 migrants trying to reach Europe by at sea last year.
Worries about a growing presence of Daesh terror group in Libya, and unverified fears that militants might try to infiltrate migrant boats, may however achieve what humanitarian concerns could not.