Hundreds of migrants and rights activists marched in Rome Saturday, protesting Italy’s controversial migrant deal with Libya. The demonstration followed news that around 20 people were feared dead after a Mediterranean boat wreck, the latest in a deadly pattern.
Under a 2017 agreement, renewed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, Italy funds and trains Libya’s coastguard to curb migrant departures. Libya, in return, is expected to intercept migrants or return those already at sea, with the pact up for renewal next month.
Protesters included Sub-Saharan migrants recounting harrowing experiences in Libya, and a minute of silence honoured those lost at sea. Activist Sarita Fratini described the central Mediterranean as “a line of death” where migrants face capture in Libya or peril further north.
Fratini has supported lawsuits against Italy by migrants intercepted at sea and returned to Libyan detention centres amid abuse and torture allegations. Irene Dea, 46, from Ivory Coast, recounted three failed journeys to Europe, witnessing 12 deaths and surviving six months in Az-Zawiyah detention centre.
“I saw women being raped with my own eyes… you don’t eat… it was total anguish,” Dea said, highlighting Libya’s brutal treatment of migrants. NGOs report Libyan coastguard increasingly shoots at migrant boats, with Alarm Phone citing a fatal shooting near Malta involving 113 people last week.
Italy’s coastguard confirmed migrants rescued reported being shot at, underscoring the deadly stakes of Mediterranean crossings, which have claimed over 1,000 lives this year. On Friday, a boat carrying about 30 people capsized southeast of Lampedusa, prompting rescue efforts by Italian and Maltese vessels and planes.
Seven survivors were rescued by Italy’s coastguard, four by a merchant ship, and at least one body recovered, with several children still missing. Sea-Watch International and Alarm Phone criticised delayed rescue, accusing authorities of failing to act despite being informed in advance of the boat’s distress.
