Boat tragedy off Moroccan coast, 4 dead, several boats rescued off Maltese, Italian and Libyan coasts
Briefing Notes, 6 December 2011
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 6 December 2011, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR received news late last week of a rescue by the Moroccan Royal Navy of a vessel with more than 60 people. 53 people on board were rescued while four were found to have died. The boat was found a few kilometres offshore from Dar Kabdani in the north of the country. A number of people are known to have drowned and their bodies have not yet been recovered.
Among the passengers were children under the age of ten, and women, some pregnant. The dead included a Congolese woman and her daughter, who UNHCR identified at the morgue. They were both registered refugees. The passengers mentioned that a Congolese refugee, a young man, is known to have drowned. His body has not been recovered.
Separately, two sailing boats with around 80 people onboard and of different nationalities (mostly Afghans) departing from Greece, were rescued by the Italian coastguard on Monday after a week at sea. They were found dehydrated and with no food and water left.
UNHCR has also been informed that a boat that left from the Libyan coast over the weekend was rescued by the Maltese Armed Forces overnight. Fourty-four people were reported to be onboard. Many are Somali, according to a Somali journalist who contacted our office in Rome.
The Libyan coast guard has reported that up to four hundred people were rescued from boats off the Libyan coast in recent days. It now seems that migrants and refugees are once again attempting to use Libya as a transit route to Europe. In years gone past it was rare to see boats attempting to make the perilous crossing during the winter.
For further information on this topic, please contact:
- In Rome: Federico Fossi on mobile +39 349 084 3461
- In Valetta: Fabrizio Ellul on mobile +356 99 69 0081
- In Geneva: Sybella Wilkes on mobile +41 79 557 9138
Tens of thousands of Somalis are fleeing conflict and drought into Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Beyond the Border
In 2010, the Turkish border with Greece became the main entry point for people attempting by irregular methods to reach member states of the European Union, with over 132,000 arrivals. While some entered as migrants with the simple wish of finding a better life, a significant number fled violence or persecution in countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia. The journey is perilous, with many reports of drowning when people board flimsy vessels and try to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the River Evros on the border between Greece and Turkey. The many deficiencies in the Greek asylum system are exacerbated by the pressure of tens of thousands of people awaiting asylum hearings. Reception facilities for new arrivals, including asylum-seekers, are woefully inadequate. Last year, UNHCR visited a number of overcrowded facilities where children, men and women were detained in cramped rooms with insufficient facilities. UNHCR is working with the Greek government to improve its asylum system and has called upon other European states to offer support.
Beyond the Border
Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan
With elections scheduled in October, 2004 is a crucial year for the future of Afghanistan, and Afghans are returning to their homeland in record numbers. In the first seven months of 2004 alone, more than half a million returned from exile. In all, more than 3.6 million Afghans have returned since UNHCR's voluntary repatriation programme started in 2002.
The UN refugee agency and its partner organisations are working hard to help the returnees rebuild their lives in Afghanistan. Returnees receive a grant to cover basic needs, as well as access to medical facilities, immunisations and landmine awareness training.
UNHCR's housing programme provides tool kits and building supplies for families to build new homes where old ones have been destroyed. The agency also supports the rehabilitation of public buildings as well as programmes to rehabilitate the water supply, vocational training and cash-for-work projects.
Rebuilding Lives in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country
The cycle of life has started again in Afghanistan as returnees put their shoulders to the wheel to rebuild their war-torn country.
Return is only the first step on Afghanistan's long road to recovery. UNHCR is helping returnees settle back home with repatriation packages, shelter kits, mine-awareness training and vaccination against diseases. Slowly but surely, Afghans across the land are reuniting with loved ones, reconstructing homes, going back to school and resuming work. A new phase in their lives has begun.
Watch the process of return, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction unfold in Afghanistan through this gallery.
Afghanistan: Rebuilding a War-Torn Country
Somalia: More than a Living
Grants from UNHCR provide a lifeline to help displaced Somali families start small businesses.
Greece: Syrian Refugees Struggle
As Syrian refugees escape conflict and seek refuge in Greece, they face major new challenges.
Greece: A Way into Europe
Desperate Syrian refugees take deadly risks to get to Europe.
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