More than 1,200 migrants arrive in Crete amid influx from Libya
At least 1,200 migrants have been detained in the Greek islands of Crete and the nearby islet of Gavdos over the past three days following a surge in arrivals from Libya.
Multiple boats were intercepted off Crete’s southern coast from Saturday through Monday, prompting regional officials to request additional government assistance.
Migrants typically make the 350-kilometer (220-mile) journey to Crete in unseaworthy boats, often hastily constructed to survive a single voyage or in abandoned vessels modified in scrapyards.
Gavdos, a tiny island south of Crete, has been overwhelmed by arrivals. Boats and dinghies remain washed up on its pebble beaches, many of them accessible only on foot.
For years, the European Union has been funding, training and equipping the Libyan coast guard to prevent smugglers from transporting migrants and refugees to Europe in makeshift boats.
However, the Coast Guard has faced repeated accusations of mistreatment of asylum seekers, leading many NGOs to denounce the policy.
Under international maritime law, people rescued at sea should be disembarked at a safe port. And the UN does not consider Libya a secure port.
By Rédaction Africanews
