On a gagné

On August 28, 2019, 70 miles from Misurata, the Mediterranea organization’s ship Mare Jonio rescued 98 shipwrecked migrants. Most of them suffered torture in Libya. After travelling for two nights, the migrants reported engine trouble. When the rubber dinghy started to deflate, 6 people died. The former Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini refused to allow the rescue ship to enter Italian waters, leaving  the Mare Jonio15 miles from Lampedusa for days. On August 29, the Coast Guard transshipped 64 people. The transshipment was carried out in the open sea, at night with high waves, which is why it has been dubbed “the transshipment of shame.” The Mare Jonio spent six days off coast with 34 other migrants on board, in poor sanitary conditions and without drinking water. These are the words spoken by the mission head after more than six days had passed:“Brothers and sisters, on a gagné.” The last 34 people left on the ship were evacuated.