---

Johan Leman, 1 July 2020

June 17.  “Sea Watch 3” a German NGO ship, comes to the aid of 100 migrants off the Libyan coast. The plane “Moonbird”, operated by Sea Watch, also assisted a boat carrying 70 migrants. http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/it/notizie/rubriche/cronaca/2020/06/17/migranti-sea-watch-ne-soccorre-100-al-largo-della-libia_65f9f809-0934-40b9-ad21-d2d7b8a2b8af.html

June 18. As reported by Morocco World News:  On the night of June 17 to 18, the Royal Navy of Morocco came to the aid of 93 Sub-Saharan African migrants. There were 15 women and many children among them. The migrants were taken to Nador. https://www.ansa.it/sicilia/notizie/2020/06/18/migranti-a-lampedusa-115-migranti-in-6-sbarchi-in-poche-ore_c13650c7-685f-481f-97f8-2f31d17af242.html

June 18.  During the night from 17 June to 18 June, in 8 hours, 115 migrants, spread over 6 vessels arrived at Lampedusa. The first four boats transported 53 Tunisians, the fifth one 13 Maghrebians and the sixth:  49 West Africans. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/06/306222/moroccos-royal-navy-rescues-93-sub-saharan-migrants-in-mediterranean/

June 20.  On World Refugee Day, the Mare Jonio, a rescue vessel managed by an Italian NGO (Saving Humans) arrives in Pozzallo (Sicily) with 67 migrants on board, after rescuing those people near Lampedusa on June 19. https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/25513/sea-watch-3-mare-jonio-land-in-sicily-with-278-migrants

June 21. The Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, says in an interview that he doesn’t allow Turkey’s blackmail. That is why Austria sent military personnel to Greece in order to help control the border. https://www.ekathimerini.com/253934/article/ekathimerini/news/austrian-chancellor-to-kathimerini-no-to-turkeys-blackmail

June 22. According to UNHCR “since January the first, 5 643 migrants came to Italy over the sea. That is 2,6 times more than the 2 144 arrivals in the same period last year. Adding those from last week-end, that number rises to over 6000.” https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20200621_04997169

June 23.  In a communication to the Maltese parliament, the Maltese foreign minister Evarist Bartolo reports that from January to the end of April 2020 Malta saw come ashore irregularly 1,700 migrants and 2,000 people were returned to Libya. 2,000 migrants have been detained by the Libyan Coastguard on their way to Malta.  https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/libyan-coastguard-stopped-2000-migrants-from-reaching-malta.800499 ; https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/abela-ministers-return-from-libya-after-positive-migration-talks.794840

June 24.  Luigi De Maio, Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, talks in Tripoli to Al-Sarraj about peace and immigration after meeting Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian (German and French minister of Foreign Affairs). https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_giugno_24/tripoli-consegnata-di-maio-modifica-memorandum-migranti-3025fdb2-b611-11ea-9dea-5ac3c9ec7c08.shtml

June 24.  Of the 209 migrants on the German NGO ship Sea Watch who are quarantined on the Italian Ship “Moby Zaza”, 28 are infected with the corona virus. https://www.ansa.it/sicilia/notizie/2020/06/24/migranti-28-positivi-sulla-moby-zaza_e4e189ac-0760-429b-be8d-a6b31e5e9cbb.html

June 27.  Belgian rescue services save in the North Sea 15 refugees who attempted to reach the UK leaving France. https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/06/27/belgische-reddingsdiensten-redden-15-drenkelingen-op-noordzee/

June 28.  For the first time since 2015, the number of asylum applications in the EU rose by 11% in 2019 compared to 2018. In absolute figures: Germany: 165,615; France: 128,940; Spain: 117,795; Greece: 77,275; UK: 44,835. The increase is mainly due to applicants from Venezuela and other countries of Latin America. However, most asylum applicants were Syrians (80,000) and Afghans (61,000). Source: EASO report. (European Asylum Support Office). https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EASO-Asylum-Report-2020-Executive-Summary-IT.pdf

June 28.  Lesbos: In the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, people get 1l of water a day for drinking, cooking and washing. For this, they have to stand in a queue 28 juni. https://rep.repubblica.it/pwa/generale/2020/06/27/news/l_inferno_e_questo_lesbo_campo_profughi_moria-260377991/?ref=RHPPTP-BH-I260396370-C12-P5-S1.4-T1

June 29. Publication of an analysis of 2019. 80% of the asylum applications in Spain in 2019 come from Latin Americans. 33% migrants from Venezuela, 32% from Columbians, 6.4% from Honduras, and 5.9% from Peruvians.  https://elpais.com/espana/2020-06-28/el-gobierno-busca-poner-orden-en-la-politica-migratoria-ante-la-apertura-de-fronteras.html

June 30. 4 persons are missing after 35 migrants tried swimming to reach the Turkish coast after a Greek coast guard ship tackled their boat on the Egean sea. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/29/c_139175391.htm . At another place, at 40 miles of the Libyan coast, the Mare Jonio supported 43 migrants in difficulty on their small boat.

Some final observations concerning June 2020. IOM observes too many collective, forced expulsions already at the sea of migrants from Greece to Turkey. http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/it/notizie/rubriche/cronaca/2020/06/11/migranti-oim-da-grecia-espulsioni-forzate-verso-turchia_e1345543-5866-4771-a15f-d0832d7be285.htm

In Italy, from January till end of June 2020 one notes the arrival of 6,812 migrants, compared to 2,779 in the same period of 2019. It concerns mostly Tunisians, Bangladeshis, Ivorians, Sudanese and Algerians. Among them: 1,004 non accompanied minors. https://www.interno.gov.it/it/stampa-e-comunicazione/dati-e-statistiche/sbarchi-e-accoglienza-dei-migranti-tutti-i-dati

Back