Category: News

It is a tragic situation.

Over 25,000 people have lost their lives due to bombings, and hundreds of thousands are at risk of succumbing to hunger, a consequence of the brutal violation of human rights faced by the civilian population of Gaza. The plight has reached a critical juncture, with more than 1.7 million people displaced and tens of thousands injured in a territory devastated by Israeli bombings for over four months. In recent weeks, the peril of famine has escalated in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of children are now facing the specter of severe malnutrition, with some in imminent danger of losing their lives. The urgency of the situation demands immediate attention and humanitarian intervention.

At Open Arms, we refuse to stand idly by in the face of the inhumane conditions experienced by the Palestinian civilian population. In response, we have partnered with World Central Kitchen to challenge the maritime blockade of Gaza and establish a vital entry route for food and necessities, alleviating the dire needs of millions affected by Israeli attacks. Although this mission is highly complex, it is undeniably necessary. Our vessel, the Open Arms, is equipped with tons of food and water, and our dedicated crew is ready to assist the most vulnerable. However, we cannot embark on this humanitarian mission without your support.

Your contribution is crucial to launching this operation.

To uphold our commitment to defending the life and dignity of people in vulnerable situations, your support is essential!

Currently, the Open Arms is located in the Italian port of Salerno,

preparing to set sail in the coming days on a new mission, Mission 108, in the central Mediterranean.

We remember that in 2023, more than 2,756 people have lost their lives by drowning in the Mediterranean while trying to reach European shores. Without the presence of humanitarian organizations that are at sea, sometimes acting in place of institutions, the human lives lost at the bottom of the sea will be even more.

We continue to denounce the Italian government’s strategy of assigning disembarkation ports significantly more distant than those available, unnecessarily prolonging the suffering of those on board. This constitutes a flagrant deliberate breach of the Law of the Sea and International Conventions, which establish that shipwrecked persons must be disembarked in the nearest safe port.

If saving lives is a crime, there is no better time for you to join our gang.

After a few hours, we received further instructions from the Italian authorities, asking us to go and check the condition of other vessels that were a short distance from our ship. When we arrived at the indicated location, we were confronted with a complicated scenario of 6 precarious, heavily overloaded vessels in difficulty. At the request of the Italian authorities, we assisted them until the Coast Guard arrived. We then rescued 4 of these boats and took on board 185 other people who had set off from Sfax, Tunisia.

After the 6 rescues carried out on the same day, 299 people were safely on board the Open Arms, including 26 women (some in advanced stages of pregnancy) and 89 minors (including a 5-year-old girl), most of them unaccompanied. The main countries of origin of those rescued are Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Tunisia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Egypt.

Despite our organization’s efforts to cooperate with the Italian authorities, the extreme right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni decided to assign us another port of disembarkation (in this case Brindisi), much further away than any other in Sicily or Calabria, regions close to the areas of operation, in a clear attempt to continue the strategy of harassment of NGOs working at sea and disregard for the suffering of the rescued.  

Finally, after 3 days of navigation, the 299 people rescued by Open Arms were able to disembark safely in Brindisi. 

TUNISIA ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A NEW LIBYA

According to the testimonies of people rescued in recent missions, Tunisia is on its way to becoming a hell on earth, just like Libya, with forced expulsions, abuses, abandonment of men, women and children in the desert without food and water, xenophobia and violence by the North African authorities against black migrants. 

But the EU institutions continue to fund their regime, as well as that of Libya, to do the “dirty work”. This situation will make many more people decide to risk their lives by crossing the Mediterranean, as it is impossible to do so in a legal and safe way. And this year, more than 1,895 innocent lives have been lost in the largest mass grave on the planet.

After the crew change and refueling, the Open Arms will once again set course for the Central Mediterranean on Mission 102, because saving lives and defending the dignity of people in vulnerable situations has been Open Arms’ mission for almost 8 years. 

But none of this would have been possible without the help and open arms of civil society, the people who help us on the ground, who spread the word about our work, and who support our work. Now, more than ever, we need people like you to continue to denounce what is happening in the Mediterranean and to continue to save the people that governments and the EU are abandoning at sea.

After bringing them aboard, we activated medical protocols for those who needed attention and requested a Safe Port from Italian authorities for them to disembark. Following their strategy of harassment and hostility towards civil society organizations that comply with international maritime law and protection of life at sea, Italy’s far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni decided to assign us Livorno as the disembarkation port, which is located 650 nautical miles from the rescue area – three times farther than the nearest Safe Port in Sicily, which should have been chosen according to international agreements. This is yet another example of cynicism and contempt for the suffering of the most vulnerable by Italian authorities.

During our journey to the port of Livorno, Open Arms located four other precarious and overloaded boats and provided assistance to the 149 people on board until the Italian coast guard arrived. Finally, after 5 days of navigation, the 117 people rescued by Open Arms were able to safely disembark in Livorno.

However, this year alone, more than 1,807 innocent lives have been lost to the depths of this immense mass grave. Summer has only just begun, and we face one of the worst seasons we could imagine. War and persecution in Libya and Tunisia combined with good weather will make many more people decide to cross, unable to do so through legal and safe channels.

That’s why, after a crew change and resupply, Open Arms will set sail again to the Central Mediterranean for Mission 101. Because protecting lives in danger is our mission, our commitment, and our obligation. Today, more than ever, you are very important in our team and we need you with us from mission to mission. Without your support, it will not be possible.

Author of the photos:
Joan Mateu Parra

Saving lives in danger is our mission, our commitment and our obligation. Because when lives are at stake in the sea, there are only two options: save lives or leave people to die. 

Since 2014 more than 26,912 people have lost their lives in the Mediterranean, making it the biggest graveyard on the planet. That’s where we’re going, to save the lives of vulnerable people who are in danger. Because rescuing means saving lives, but it also means guaranteeing dignity to people that, like everyone else, have the right to dignity, wherever they come from. 

Today, more than ever, you are a very important member of our team and we need you with us on each and every mission. Without your support, none of this would be possible.